Devil Dogs
by Caillynn Mastyn
Summary: The team is called to Quantico Municipal Park, where a Marine and a terrorist are found dead. Gibbs gets reunited with an old friend, Gunnery Sgt. Delaney Hanlon. When she gets kidnapped by her traitorous commanding officer, can the MCRT find her before it's too late? Case/Family fic. Papa Gibbs! Rated T for language and violence. Complete!
1. Hey There, Devil Dog

**Devil Dogs**

**This is my first fanfic. Reviews are welcome, but please be courteous. NCIS is owned by CBS and Belisarius Productions.**

**Chapter One: Hey There, Devil Dog**

NCIS Special Agents Anthony DiNozzo, Ziva David, and Timothy McGee sat at their desks on a sunny Monday morning in April. Tim was absorbed in paperwork, as usual. Tony looked up from his computer and noticed Ziva looking at him.

"Something wrong, Ziva?" he asked the pretty, former Mossad operative. "Or are you just unable to resist my striking good looks?"

Ziva feigned a look of disgust and then smiled at her partner.

"I was just thinking, Tony, that it has been quiet around here. Maybe a bit too quiet, yes?"

Without looking up Tim said, "I was just thinking the same thing, Ziva."

"Good for you, McPsychic." Tony snapped and Tim rolled his eyes.

"I'm not psychic, Tony. If anyone here is psychic, it's Gibbs."

Tony smiled and said, "Ah, yes, the fearless leader. I don't think he's psychic. I think his gut has a personality, though. It talks to him, they have conversations. Whenever his phone rings about a case, it's not dispatch calling, it's the famous gut!"

Tony smiled and his eyes shone brightly as his imagination started to get the better of him. Ziva and Tim both smiled at him but before either could reply, Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs strode into the bullpen, coffee in hand.

"Grab your gear. We've got a dead Marine and a dead civilian at Quantico Municipal Park."

His three agents jumped up from their desks, grabbed their bags and got in the elevator. As soon as the door closed Gibbs reached up and slapped Tony on the back of the head.

"Ow, Boss! What was that for?" Tony asked, rubbing the back of his head and looking at Gibbs.

Gibbs continued to look straight ahead and replied, "Not my call, DiNozzo. I just got off the phone with my gut. He told me to do it."

Tony's eyes got wide. He laughed nervously and then shut his mouth, while Ziva and Tim looked at each other and smiled. Gibbs made sure he was the first person off of the elevator, so his agents would not see the smile creeping across his face.

(Quantico Municipal Park, Virginia) "Talk to me, McGee." Gibbs said as Tim began the fingerprint scan on the dead Marine.

"Boss, this is Lance Corporal Philip Citrix. 23 years old, stationed at Quantico."

Gibbs sipped his coffee and asked, "And the civilian?"

Tim finished his fingerprint scan on the other dead man and frowned. "Not a civilian, Boss."

"Military?" Gibbs asked, and Tim held up the scanner for his boss to see.

"Terrorist."

"What happened, Duck?" Gibbs asked the Medical Examiner with the soft Scottish accent Dr. Donald "Ducky" Mallard as he began his initial examination of the bodies.

"Well, Jethro, as you can see, they were both shot. Based on the significant amount of blood loss from both wounds I can say with certainty that they were both alive when it happened. We'll know more once I get them back to autopsy."

"Do we have a time of death?" Gibbs asked as Ducky began inserting the temperature probe into the dead terrorist's liver.

"Patience, dear boy." Ducky replied. "His liver temperature suggests that he met his demise between 2200 and 0200 hours last night. And as for our Marine," he said as he turned to Measure the Lance Corporal's liver temperature, "It appears that he passed around the same time."

Ducky looked at the wounds of both men and said, "Look at the size of the wounds, Jethro. It appears that our Marine was shot with a larger caliber bullet."

Gibbs looked down at the gun that lay in between the two bodies. "Only one gun at the scene. Tony, Ziva, finish up here. McGee, you're with me."

"Where are we going, Boss?" Tim asked as Ducky and his assistant ME Jimmy Palmer started to lay out the body bags.

"Quantico. We've got to talk to the Lance Corporal's CO and unit." Gibbs replied.

"Get the gurney's ready, Mr. Palmer." Ducky said to his young assistant. "Let's get these two back to autopsy and see what stories they have to tell us."

(Marine Corps Base Quantico) Gibbs and Tim walked into the office at Quantico and again flashed their badges.

"NCIS. We need to know who Lance Corporal Philip Citrix's Commanding Officer was and what unit he was in." Gibbs told the young Marine behind the desk.

"Yes, sir. We heard about Citrix. It's a damn shame. He seemed like a nice enough guy."

"Did you know the Lance Corporal well?" Tim asked.

"No, sir. Just saw him around. he was quieter than most of the guys here, but he would always smile and say hello."

The Marine pulled a clipboard out from his desk drawer and said, "His commanding officer was Captain Lewis Bertram."

"We need to speak with him." Gibbs said.

"He stepped out for lunch about thirty minutes ago, sir. He should be back within the next thirty."

Gibbs sighed impatiently. The young Marine, sensing that Gibbs was not a man who liked to be kept waiting, started shuffling through more papers.

"His unit was number 21, one of our best. They're being drilled by Gunnery Sgt. Hanlon in field seven."

Gibbs asked, "Gunnery Sgt. Delaney Hanlon?"

The Marine nodded. "Yes, sir. They should be breaking for lunch soon. I'm sure the Gunny won't mind you heading out there."

Gibbs nodded his thanks to the Marine, and Tim followed him out of the office.

"Someone, you know, Boss? This Gunnery Sgt. Hanlon?" Tim asked, curious.

Gibbs replied, "Yep. But now's not the time for stories, McGee."

Tim was silent for the rest of the walk to the field. He wondered to himself if Gibbs knew the Gunny in a good way or a bad way. When they got to the field, they stopped at the edge and saw the young Gunnery Sgt. running her troops ragged. Gibbs recognized her immediately. He smiled and continued to watch silently. Tim smiled in surprise when he saw the rare smile creep across his boss' face.

"I guess he knows her in a good way." Tim thought to himself.

27-year-old Gunnery Sgt. Delaney Hanlon did not notice the agents watching, and continued drill her soldiers. Gibbs and Tim listened as she spoke to one of the soldiers who was having a tough time with the course.

"I understand that you're mad about Citrix dying, Corporal. It's ok to be mad, Marine. We're all mad about it." She did not break eye contact with the Corporal, but spoke loud enough for every man in her unit to hear.

"But you cannot, under any circumstances, let your emotions affect your performance. That will put you and the entire unit in jeopardy. You've got to stay focused! Am I clear, Corporal?"

"Yes, ma'am." he replied.

"Good," she said, still not breaking eye contact with him.

Gibbs knew how important eye contact was to drive a point home, and he smiled again. She was a damn good Marine.

"Let's do this until we get it right" she told him.

"Ready Corporal? Go!"

He struggled through the obstacles and she shouted, "Again! You've got to push harder, Marine!"

He ran the course two more times and continued to struggle.

"Again! I love field seven! We've got all day, Corporal, and you're not stopping until you show me your best or pass out from exhaustion!"

The young Corporal furrowed his brow and ran toward the course again, this time plowing through each obstacle.

"Corporal Paulsen, front and center!" she shouted at him when he finished.

He stood at attention before her, exhausted, but with a satisfied look on his face. She smiled at him before turning to the rest of the men in her unit.

"I hope you ladies were paying attention to that." she said and then turned back to face the Corporal.

"That was a perfect example of how to make field seven your bitch."

He grinned when she said that and replied, "Oorah." "Alright," she said, "Let's break for chow. I'll see you on artillery field Delta at 1400. Nice work, guys."

She smiled at them as they passed and then sighed, her mind immediately going back to Lance Corporal Citrix. It wasn't the first time she has lost one of the guys in her unit, but, as she was learning, it didn't matter how many people she lost in her life, because the heartache always felt the same. She tried to rub out the knot that was forming in the back of her neck and sighed again. It was going to be a long day. She picked up her backpack off of the ground and suddenly heard a familiar voice behind her say, "That was a hell of a good drill, Gunny."

She grinned when she heard him and said, "No freakin' way..."

She turned around and saw her hero. He had a quirky half-smile on his face and his blue eyes sparkled.

"Hey there, Devil Dog." he said. She dropped her bag back on the ground and threw her arms around him.

"Oh, Gibbs..." she said as she hugged him and happy tears ran down her cheeks. "I missed you, Gunny." she said to him and he replied,

"I missed you too, pretty girl."

She pulled away from him and he used his thumbs to wipe away her tears.

"Marines don't cry." he said smiling at her.

Tim was surprised at the amount of affection Gibbs was showing. He remained silent, not wanting to ruin their moment. He watched Delaney as she hugged Gibbs, and was almost instantly taken with her. Her auburn hair was tied back neatly; she was petite and fit, and dressed in her desert fatigues. Tim thought she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. Gibbs saw him staring at her smiling, and knew immediately that Tim was attracted to her.

"Gunnery Sgt. Delaney Hanlon, this is Special Agent Timothy McGee." Gibbs said, and McGee just stood there smiling at her until Gibbs smacked the back of his head.

"Ow! Oh! It's nice to meet you, Gunny." Tim said blushing.

"Nice to meet you too, Tim." She replied and then turned back to Gibbs.

"Let me guess, you guys are here about Lance Corporal Citrix?" she said and Gibbs nodded.

"I'll tell you everything that I know about him."

"So will I." said a voice approaching them.

Gibbs and Tim turned to see a tall, older Marine Officer.

He extended his hand to Gibbs and introduced himself, "Captain Lewis Bertram."

"Captain," Delaney said, "This is Special Agent Gibbs and Special Agent McGee. They're with NCIS."

"I can see that, Gunny." Captain Bertram snapped at her.

Gibbs immediately shot him a look, and seeing it, the Captain's tone softened.

"Why don't you go eat lunch?" he said to Delaney. "You can't run circles around those boys on an empty stomach."

Gibbs shook his head at Captain Bertram and said,"I still need to speak with her, Captain."

"I understand that, Agent Gibbs, but unfortunately a Marines job doesn't stop because someone dies. She is on duty and has a grieving unit to attend to."

Gibbs decided not to argue with him. He had a bad feeling about Bertram since he came out, and now Gibbs was much more interested in speaking with him.

"Understood, Captain." He turned to Delaney and handed her a card out of his wallet.

"Stop by headquarters when you get done, Devil Dog. We'll talk then." he said to her and she nodded,

"Yes sir, Agent Gibbs."

"Go get some chow, Gunny." Captain Bertram said to her as he put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed just a bit too hard.

"Yes sir, Captain." she said. She shot her Captain a dirty look and then smiled at Gibbs and Tim as she walked towards the mess hall.

Gibbs looked at the Captain and said "Ok, Captain, let's talk about Lance Corporal Citrix."


	2. Memories

**A very special thank you to my first reviewer! Sorry this took so long to update. Enjoy! I do not own NCIS.**

**Chapter 2: Memories**

Captain Bertram did not give Gibbs and Tim any useful information. He told them that Lance Corporal Citrix was a bright young man, and a good Marine, but not much else. He told them that he, "didn't have the faintest idea of why Citrix would be meeting with terrorists." Gibbs' gut told him that Bertram was holding back information, but he decided not to push him hard. He knew that if Bertram was involved they would find out eventually, and Gibbs did not want to spook him.

Tony and Ziva were in the bullpen gathering information from the case, when Tim stepped off of the elevator.

"Where is Gibbs?" Ziva asked as Tim approached them.

"I think he went to get coffee." He replied and sat down at his desk.

"So did you guys get any useful information from your trip to Quantico?" Tony asked, and despite his best efforts to keep a straight face, Tim found himself smiling at the thought of the pretty, young Gunnery Sgt. Tony saw Tim's smile and his face lit up.

"Ah, did you meet someone there, Probilicious?"

Tim glared at Tony and said, "Yes, Tony. As a matter of fact I did. Seems like she's an old friend of Gibbs. She was so happy to see him that she started crying."

Tony grinned and said, "Alright, spill, McGee. I want details. What's her name?"

"Her name is Gunnery Sgt. Delaney Hanlon." Gibbs said walking into the bullpen.

"Oh, hey, Boss." Tony said, "Though you went to go get coffee."

"Maybe later," Gibbs said, "What do you got?"

Tony glared at McGee and mouthed "later" before taking the remote and standing in front of the plasma.

"Boss, our terrorists name is Haswari Singh. Started off small time, but based on the allegations surfacing against him in the last few months, I'd say that he was trying to move up in the ranks. Car bombings, assassinations, robbery... All linked to him. The FBI was following him but they lost track of him about two months ago."

"Why does that not surprise me?" Gibbs replied. "How about our Marine?"

McGee stood up this time, took the remote from Tony and brought a picture of the dead Marine up.

"Lance Corporal Philip Citrix, 23. Junior at Georgetown and majoring in computer science. Smart kid, too. I was talking to one of the administrators on the way back. He was going to finish the year with a 4.0. His record in the Corps is just as flawless."

Ziva stood up from her desk and said, "Tony and I searched his apartment, but we did not find anything unusual. But we did take his computers down to Abby."

Gibbs looked at his team and said, "McGee, keep digging. I want everything on these guys. Also, pull up whatever information you can on Captain Bertram. Tony, Ziva, go to Georgetown and talk to Citrix's friends and professors there."

"On it, Boss." They replied.

Gibbs got on the elevator and went down to see Ducky. "What do you got for me, Duck?" he asked the ME.

"Ah, Jethro, what we have is two men dead from two very different gunshot wounds. Our terrorist was shot at close range, with what I suspect is the gun found at the scene, but we'll need Abby to confirm that. The bullet penetrated at a very odd angle, which to me suggests that there was a struggle of sorts. Our Lance Corporals gunshot wound tells a very different story. It was a larger caliber bullet that killed him, going straight through his neck and severing his brain stem. The angle suggests that he was shot from slightly higher ground, and from a greater distance."

"Maybe a sniper?" Gibbs asked.

"Possibly" said Ducky, looking worried.

"Thanks, Duck. Keep me posted." Gibbs said as he left autopsy. He decided not to mention seeing Delaney to Ducky. He knew she would be at headquarters that day, and wanted her to surprise him. He took a walk to get a coffee for himself and a Caf-POW! for Abby. As he walked, he began to think about the sad events that brought Gunnery Sgt. Hanlon into his life over 20 years ago.

It was about a year after he lost Shannon and Kelly. He was still enlisted, but was serving his final year before retiring. He was driving, on his way home from the base, and it was raining hard. The car in front of him had been hydroplaning. They hit a bump, and Gibbs watched as the car spun out of control and slammed into a tree. Gibbs immediately pulled over and started running towards the now burning vehicle. He heard a child's cry and started running faster. When he got to the car, he saw a lifeless young couple in the front seats, and a little girl of no more than 5 years old strapped into the back seat, crying. The car was starting to burn badly, and Gibbs knew that the gasoline could ignite at any moment. He forced open the back door, and struggled to free the screaming child from the seatbelt.

"It's ok, pretty girl," he said softly, trying not to frighten her anymore than she already was. "I've got you. Let's get you out of here."

The seatbelt was stuck, so he pulled out his knife and cut it. He grabbed the terrified child, and started running away from the car. He felt the shockwave hit his back, and turned in enough time to see the car explode, and let the little girl land on him when they fell. Gibbs sat on the ground and cradled the little one in his arms, both of them getting soaked in the rain. He little fists gripped the front of his fatigues tightly. She looked up at him, tears streaking her face and with wide, terrified eyes. Others had pulled over after seeing the accident and several had called 911. There were people standing around them, shouting and asking if they were ok, but because of the hard rain and the adrenaline running through him, he hardly noticed. He only noticed the terrified and now orphaned little girl that he held in his arms.

"Are you ok, pretty girl?" he asked.

She nodded, "I'm ok, Gunny," she said and then laid her head on his chest.

"How did you know that I was a Gunny?" he asked her, softly stroking her hair. Without lifting her head, she tapped the rank patch on his arm.

"You know ranks?" he asked, surprised.

She said, "My daddy used to show me my pop pop's shirt. It had the same sign on it and Mommy called him Gunny before he died." She looked back at the car again, then buried her face in Gibbs' chest and sobbed.

Ambulances, firetrucks and police arrived at the scene fairly quickly.

A paramedic went rushing over to them and asked, "Were you two involved in the accident?"

Gibbs stood up, still holding the little girl and said, "I wasn't, but she was."

He followed the paramedic over to the ambulance and tried to lift her into it, but she clung to him tightly.

"Don't leave me, Gunny!" She looked distraught and panicked, and Gibbs' heart broke for her.

"It's ok, sweetie, I'm not going anywhere." he told her as he stepped up into the ambulance with her. He figured he could have his car towed to the hospital later. She had a bruise running across her chest and shoulder from the seatbelt, and cuts on her arms and face from the broken glass that flew into the back seat, but otherwise seemed unharmed. Gibbs held her in the back of the ambulance, and she rested her head on his shoulder, still crying.

"What's your name, pretty girl?" he asked, and she whispered "Laney Hanlon."

Gibbs had the ambulance take her to Bethesda, and they kept her in the hospital for four days. Little Delaney did not have any family in the area, and on day two Gibbs met the social worker that was assigned to her by the hospital. He was surprised to learn that it was the wife of one of the Marines in his unit. She told him that the only family that little Delaney had in the states was an aunt who lived in California; she was currently overseas and would not be back for two months.

"We're going to have to find a foster home for her until then," the social worker Lynda told him.

"A foster home?" Gibbs asked, disturbed at the thought. "No... No, there's got to be somewhere else... Her aunt said she could take her in two months?"

Lynda nodded and said, "Yes, I spoke to her this morning. What did you have in mind?"

"Could I just take her until then? I'd rather have her stay with me than in a foster home." Lynda smiled at his concern. She knew Gibbs was a good man. He had saved her husband's life in Desert Storm.

"If you don't mind it, Gunny, I can arrange it."

He walked back into Delaney's room and over to her bed. She was in a bit of pain, but becoming restless staying in bed.

"I just got done talking to Miss Lynda, your social worker. You're going to stay with me for a few months before you go to California to live with your Aunt Mary."

"Oh..." she said, her little mind processing the information. "Do you know how to take care of a girl?" she asked, and he smiled at her genuine concern and innocence.

He push a strand of hair out of her eyes and said, "I think I'll do ok."

She seemed satisfied with his answer and did not ask any more questions.

"Hey, kiddo, listen... I have to run out for a little bit." he said, and his heart broke a little when he saw her reaction to his statement.

"Where are you going, Gunny?" she asked, looking tired and worried."

Gibbs smiled reassuringly at her and said, "I just have to run home to shower and change. Then I have to run to the store to buy some stuff for you. I'll be back before you know it." Her bottom lips started to tremble and she held out her pinky.

"Do you pinky swear that you're coming back, Gunny?"

He linked his finger with hers and said, "I pinky swear."

After Gibbs left, Delaney started coloring in a book that one of the nurses bought her. Then she watched TV. After a little more than an hour, which seemed like two eternities to the little one, tears began to roll down her cheeks. Her Gunny wasn't back yet. She thought he forgot about her and was never coming back. She knew that her parents weren't coming back, either, but had heard two nurses talking and saying that her parents were, "downstairs in the morgue." She knew that they would be asleep forever, but if she could find the morgue then she could see them one last time, even if they were sleeping. When the nurse came into to take her vitals, she pretended to be asleep. After she heard the nurse leave, she quietly slipped out of bed and out into the hallway, where she made it to the stairwell without being seen. She went down the stairs until they ended and then pushed the door open. She was downstairs, now she just had to find the morgue, whatever that was. She walked to the end of a long hallway, and then turned to walk down another. It was quiet down there, and cold. She came to a big door at the end of the hall, pushed it open slowly and then stepped inside and looked around. All she saw was what looked like huge drawers lining the wall, and some empty metal tables. No Mommy or Daddy. She leaned against the wall, and then slid to the floor. She was still sore, and now she was lost and cold. Her Mommy and Daddy were gone forever and her Gunny had left her.

She began to cry, and suddenly she heard a voice say, "My, my what have we here?" He had a soft Scottish accent, and sounded very kind.

"What's your name, little angel?" the doctor asked as he kneeled beside her.

"Delaney," she replied, sniffling.

The doctor smiled at her and said, "Well, my name is Doctor Mallard, but you can call me Ducky. Let's get you off of this cold floor."

**TBC... Reviews are always welcome!**


	3. Evidence

**I do not own NCIS... Thanks for the reviews! **

**Chapter 3: Evidence**

Ducky helped the little girl off of the floor and walked her into his office. He sat her down in his chair and asked, "What are you doing down here, my dear?"

She shrugged and said, "I heard a nurse say that my parents were downstairs in the morgue. My Gunny left me and I wanted to see them before the angels took them to heaven."

"Oh, dear," Ducky said, "You're the little girl who was in that car accident." He ran his hand through his hair and sighed. He could not bring himself to tell her that her parents were still in there in the morgue. He knew if he told her then she would want to see them, and Ducky felt she had already been traumatized enough.

"Little angel, your parents aren't here. They already went up to heaven. Now, what's this about your Gunny leaving?" he asked.

"My Gunny, Gibbs. He's my hero. He cut my seatbelt off of me and took me out of the car before it blowed up."

Ducky nodded. He had heard that she had been saved by a Marine.

"He said he was gonna go out for a little bit. I'm supposed to stay with him until I go live with Aunt Mary. He pinky promised that he would come back, but he didn't." Her lip started to tremble again and fresh tears started flowing.

Ducky's heart broke for the little one. "Little angel, when did your Gunny leave? Was it today?"

She nodded yes.

"Do you know what time it was when he left?" he asked softly, pointing at the clock on the wall.

"It was a looooooong time ago," she said, matter-of-factly. "The little hand was on the twelve and the big hand was almost on the six."

Ducky smiled. 12:30, which was about an hour and a half ago. He knew that for a small child, and hour and a half might as well be forever.

"Let's call the nurse and see if there is a way to reach him." Ducky said and suddenly she looked scared.

"No! You can't call the nurse, she'll be mad. I wasn't supposed to leave my room."

Ducky smiled at her again and said, "My dear, I have to let them know where you are, they're probably panicking. Don't worry." He looked at her wristband to see what floor she was on, and then dialed the nurses' station. The nurse he spoke to was relieved that she was safe with Ducky, but said that they did not have a number for Gibbs, only for her social worker Lynda. She gave him the number after he promised not to let her stay down there too long. He called Lynda, and she was very reassuring.

"Dr. Mallard, I've known Gunnery Sgt. Gibbs for a long time, and he's a good man. He had to go home to shower and change, then run to the store to buy some things for her. He'll definitely be back."

Satisfied, Ducky knelt down, wiped away her tears and said, "No more tears little one, your Gunny will be back soon. When a Marine makes a promise he always keeps it. Semper Fidelis."

She looked at him confused and asked, "What does that mean?"

"It is Latin. It means "Always Faithful." It is the motto of the Marine Corps."

"Semper Fidelis..." she said slowly. "Is Latin a different language?"

Ducky smiled and said, "Indeed it is. You are a smart girl."

She suddenly smiled at him, "Now I know how to say stuff in Latin and Gaelic!" she exclaimed proudly.

"Really?" Ducky asked, amused by his new friend. "What can you say in Gaelic?"

She thought hard for a moment. "I can say... Tonog!" she said, pronouncing the word to sound like too-nuk.

"And what does Tonog mean?" he asked, and she replied, "It means duck. You're my Tonog."

He smiled warmly at her and said, "That is very good, little angel. Now let's get you back upstairs. Your Gunny should be returning soon." She slid off of the chair and took Ducky's hand.

"Tonog, will you wait with me until he gets back?" she asked, looking up at him, and Ducky replied, "Of course, little angel. Of course."

When Gibbs got back to the hospital, he walked into the room and set his bags down on the floor. He drew back the curtain, and saw a doctor sitting on the edge of the bed, telling Delaney a story from his childhood. As soon as Delaney saw him, she stood up on the bed and held out her arms for a hug. He picked her up to hug her and she said, "I almost thought you left me, Gunny."

He pressed a kiss onto her temple and said, "Almost?"

"Yeah, almost. Then Tonog said that you're a Marine, and Marines always keep promises. Semper Fidelis."

He smiled when she said that and said, "That's true. Semper Fidelis. But who is Tonog?"

Ducky stood and extended a hand to Gibbs. "I'm Doctor Donald Mallard, the Medical Examiner. All of my friends call me Ducky. Miss Delaney has some experience speaking Gaelic and Tonog is Gaelic for duck."

Gibbs shook his hand and said, "Nice to meet you, Dr. Mallard," and Ducky interrupted him with, "Please, just Ducky."

"Ok, Ducky. I'm Gunnery Sgt. Leroy Jethro Gibbs. You can just call me Gibbs. Or Jethro. " Gibbs said, still holding Delaney, her head resting on his shoulder.

"So, you're the ME? What are you doing up here?"

Ducky explained how Delaney ended up down in the morgue. Gibbs smiled sadly as Ducky told him the story.

"Thanks for looking after her, Duck." he said when Ducky finished.

"Oh, no thanks needed. The pleasure was indeed mine. Well, I'm afraid I need to get back downstairs."

Delaney picked up her head and said, "But you didn't finish the story, Tonog."

He smiled and said, "Then I will just have to come visit you when my shift is over. It was nice meeting you, Jethro, and you too, Miss Delaney. I will see you both later."

Gibbs paid for his coffee and Abby's Caf-POW! and smiled at the memory of his first meeting with his now co-worker and very close friend, Ducky. Memories were flooding his mind now. He remembered how he needed to take a personal leave from the Corps to take care of the little girl that came so suddenly into his life. When he drove them home from the hospital after she was discharged, he glanced at her in the rear view mirror. Her little arms were wrapped as far as they would go around the giant teddy bear that Gibbs had surprised her with. He thought she was sleeping and it surprised him when she spoke.

"Gunny, I need to ask you something. How did you know that you would have to bring a knife? To cut the seatbelt off of me?"

Gibbs kept his eyes fixed on the road and said, "That's rule number nine, Laney: Never go anywhere without your knife."

"Oh..." she said, thinking it over for a moment. "Do you have a lot of rules, Gunny?"

He smiled at her questions and said, "A few."

"Can you teach them to me?" she asked, and this time he had to think it over for a moment.

"Sure," he said finally, "but only a few of them. I'll teach you the rest when you're older."

This time she smiled at his agreement and said, "Deal!"

Ducky became a regular visitor a Gibbs' house for the two months that Delaney lived with him. Every weekend Ducky would take her to a museum or an opera. Some nights they would just sit in Gibbs' living room and talk. She would sit on his lap for hours listening to his rambling stories. The more Gibbs got to know Ducky, the more he liked him. They both had military backgrounds, and neither man had a family. By the time Delaney was ready to move to California, they had developed a strong friendship. The day before Delaney's aunt was scheduled to arrive, Ducky took a day off of work, and he and Gibbs spoiled the little girl. They went to a carnival, got ice cream, went to the zoo, and then went to dinner. That night at Gibbs' house the tucked her in, read her a bedtime story and waited patiently while she prayed slowly in Gaelic. Then they both gave their last 'night night' kisses to her. After she fell asleep, they sat in Gibbs' basement, sipping bourbon. They were both silent for a long time, and finally Ducky broke the silence.

"What if one of us fought for custody..."

"Ah, Duck," Gibbs said, sounding annoyed. "Think about that for a second."

Ducky sighed, "Yes, you're right Jethro, it is a foolish thought. I am going to miss that little girl."

In one shot, Gibbs finished the bourbon in his glass, walked up to his friend and put a hand on his shoulder. "Yeah, me too, Duck."

Gibbs didn't want to remember the day her aunt came to pick her up. There were a lot of tears shed that day between Delaney, Gibbs, Ducky, and even Aunt Mary. She saw two men, one a hardened Marine who had seen combat and suffered the devastation of losing his wife and child, and the other a doctor, a medical examiner who literally looked death in the face everyday, cry when they were saying their goodbyes to her niece. She promised them that she would keep in touch, and she kept her word. She wrote to them about Delaney until Delaney was reading and writing better. Every year on her birthday Gibbs and Ducky sent her gifts, and Gibbs sent her a card with an attached piece of paper that had a few of his rules on it, and she memorized them well, even as he sent her new rules and updates over the years. She flew out to visit them for the summer before she started high school, and then again right before she went into college and joined the Corps.

Gibbs was thinking hard, "The last time I saw her was almost 10 years ago..."

Gibbs tried to shake his mind clear of memories to focus on the case. He walked into the lab and set a Caf-POW! down on the table.

"What do you got, Abbs?" he asked Abby Sciuto, NCIS's over caffeinated, goth, brilliant forensic scientist.

"Gibbs! She exclaimed, rushing toward him, "We have a mystery!"

"I know that, Abbs. It's our job to try to solve them."

She smiled at him and said, "Ok, take a look at this picture that Tony took at the crime scene this morning." She pushed a few buttons on her computer, and a picture came up on one of the bigger monitors.

Gibbs squinted at the picture and said, "It looks like a pattern in the dirt next to Citrix."

She grinned and said, "Right you are, my silver-haired fox! It looks like an indentation from a case that was placed on the ground. Lucky for us, it was heavy enough to leave an indentation of almost everything on the bottom of it, including this." She zoomed into a spot and then enhanced the photo.

Gibbs squinted at the monitor again and said, "Looks like numbers."

"Two in a row! Alright Gibbs!" Abby exclaimed. "It's probably a serial number. We only have part of it, but with this and the dimensions that Tony measured, I should be able to narrow down what kind of case it is, who manufactured it, and who sold it. Now for our weapon..." She said as she made her way over to the evidence table.

She picked up an evidence bag that held the gun found at the scene and said, "This is a Marine issued, lightweight, semi-automatic, double action M9 Beretta."

Gibbs just looked at her and said, "Yeah, I know that, Abbs. It's the standard sidearm in the Corps."

"Oh," she said quietly with a hint of a smile on her face, "Then I guess that you also know that the bullet Ducky pulled out of the dead terrorist was definitely fired from this gun. And I am going to assume that you also knew that this gun was registered to Lance Corporal Citrix, had his fingerprints on the handle and trigger, and the terrorist's fingerprints on the barrel, which confirms Ducky's theory that there was a struggle."

"So Lance Corporal Citrix killed a terrorist, but why was he meeting with him in the first place?" Gibbs wondered. "Did you have a chance to go through his computers yet?" Gibbs asked, and Abby frowned at him.

"I'm only one person Gibbs."

He kissed her on the cheek and said, "Thanks, Abbs. Keep me posted."

"Talk to me, McGee." Gibbs said as he walked into the bullpen and sat down at his desk.

"Boss, I finished checking the Lance Corporal's credit cards and bank statements. Two days ago there was a deposit made from an offshore account for $25,000. I also checked his home phone records. There are no incoming or outgoing calls except for a call from a dry cleaner in Virginia that specializes in Military uniforms."

"Can you trace the money, McGee?" Gibbs asked and McGee shook his head.

"Boss I tried, but it went all over the place. I lost it in Beirut. I have started looking into Captain Bertram, but so far I haven't found anything to link him to the case."

Tony and Ziva stepped off of the elevator and walked over to their desks.

"What did you find out?" Gibbs asked them.

"A whole lot of nothing, Boss. Everyone that we talked to said the same thing. Great student, but he was quiet and didn't really talk to anyone."

Tony braced himself for Gibbs to get mad, but before Gibbs could react, his phone rang.

He answered, "Yeah, Gibbs. I'll be right up." He hung up the phone and looked at his three agents.

"Director Vance needs to see me." he said, and then Tony's phone rang. Tony answered it but Gibbs continued talking.

"McGee, I want you in Abby's lab getting whatever you can off of those computers."

"On it, Boss." Tim said and quickly headed to the elevator.

"Ziva, I want everything you can find on Captain Bertram. I want a full history."

Ziva nodded and said, "On it, Gibbs."

Tony hung up his phone and said, "Boss, security downstairs called. Gunnery Sgt. Delaney Hanlon is here to see you."

"Escort her up, DiNozzo. I have to go talk to the Director. Tell her I'll be down shortly."

With that, he started climbing the stairs towards the Director's office. Gibbs let himself in, and before he even turned around, Director Leon Vance knew who it was. Gibbs was the only person that he knew with enough brass to let himself into the office of the Director of NCIS without knocking.

"You wanted to see me, Director?" Gibbs asked as he closed the door behind him.

Director Vance turned to face him, "Gibbs, I'm sure you're aware of the fact that we will eventually have to let the FBI know that we have their missing terrorist."

Vance chewed on a toothpick and waited for a response.

Gibbs replied, "Come on, Leon. You know that any time we involve the FBI in anything it leads to trouble. The FBI lost track of their terrorist two months ago. What's a few more days?"

Vance sighed and said, "I have procedure that I need to follow. You have 24 hours."

Gibbs looked at him like he was nuts and said, "I just opened my investigation this morning. 24 hours isn't enough time."

"24 hours is me being generous, Gibbs." Vance told him. "I should have called them this morning. Take it or leave it."

Gibbs just nodded and then let himself out of the office.

**TBC... **


	4. Extracting Information

**A special thanks to torontogirl12 for her encouragement! I do not own NCIS... **

**Chapter 4: Extracting Information**

As Gibbs ascended the stairs to talk to Director Vance, Tony went to the elevator to escort Gunnery Sgt. Hanlon up to the bullpen. Tony smiled when he got to the lobby and saw the pretty young Marine. He was desperate for information on how she knew Gibbs, and figured it was time to turn on the DiNozzo Charm.

"Hi. You must be Gunnery Sgt. Hanlon. I'm Very Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo, Gibbs' Senior Field Agent."

She shook his hand and smiled at Tony. "It's nice to meet you Very Special Agent DiNozzo."

She followed him into the elevator and he was quiet as he pondered the next step to satisfying his curiosity.

Once they stepped into the bullpen, Tony asked, "So have you known Gibbs a long time?"

"22 years," she replied. "I met Gibbs when I was five years old."

Tony smiled, "So you're not an ex girlfriend?" he asked and she laughed.

"No. He's an old friend."

She saw Ziva sitting at her desk, and not wanting to be rude, walked over to introduce herself.

"I'm Gunnery Sgt. Delaney Hanlon."

Ziva shook her hand and smiled, "Special Agent Ziva David. It's nice to meet you."

McGee came walking out of the elevator, frowning and looking stressed.

Tony saw him and said, "I thought you were supposed to be in Abby's lab accessing those computers, McPanic. What are you doing up here?"

Without looking over at Tony, Tim went straight to his computer and started to type furiously.

"Citrix's computers have encryptions on them that would make the NSA proud." Tim said as he typed. "I have to allow remote access to my computer, so I can access my encryption software from the lab."

"Nice to see you again, Agent McGee." Delaney said.

Tim looked up from his computer and smiled when he saw her. He quickly finished typing and walked up to her.

"It's nice to see you too, Gunny." he said, and again just looked at her and smiled until he got smacked on the head, this time by Tony.

"Don't want Gibbs to see you up here drooling all over his Marine. Get a McMove on, Probie!"

Tim glared at Tony and then smiled at Delaney before heading back to the elevator.

"Poor Agent McGee..." Delaney said, smiling, and Tony snorted.

"Why do you say that?" he asked .

"Because, that's the second time today he's gotten a good head slap." she said, and Tony's face lit up.

"Oh, did Gibbs get him at the base?"

She smiled, raised her eyebrows and nodded, her eyes sparkling mischievously.

Tony laughed, "Ha! Don't worry, I'm sure you'll get a turn soon."

"So where is Gibbs?" she asked.

Ziva replied, "He is upstairs talking to Director Vance. He said he would be down shortly."

"So," Tony said, still curious, "You met Gibbs when you were five years old, huh? That must have been scary. How did you guys meet?"

Delaney smiled and said, "It's a long story, Agent DiNozzo. The short version is that he saved my life."

Tony smiled, surprised and said, "Really? Well, I would love to hear the story. But you don't have to tell me now, Gunny. Maybe later tonight, over dinner? I mean, you look great in desert fatigues, but I bet you'd look amazing in a little black dress."

Ziva rolled her eyes at the self-proclaimed "Master of Extracting Information." She ignored the little pangs of jealousy that she felt while watching Tony flirt with Delaney, and decided not to say anything. She saw by the look on Delaney's face that she was not buying Tony's act, and smiled at the knowledge that this would not end well for him. Ziva loved Tony, but, every once in a while, she loved to see him suffer just a bit.

Delaney stepped toward him and started playing with his tie.

"Special Agent DiNozzo... Or can I call you Tony?" she asked and Tony flashed a million dollar smile at her.

"You can call me anything you want, sweetheart," he said and Ziva cringed. "Here it comes," she thought.

"Tony, you're lucky that you're not one of the Marines in my unit," Delaney told him, still playing with his tie.

"And why is that?" he asked, his green eyes sparkling. She grabbed his tie and pulled him down hard, until his eyes were level with hers.

"Because if you were, I'd have you doing push ups until you were sorry that God ever gave you elbows." She released the grip she had on his tie, grinned at him, then walked towards Ziva's desk.

"Nice!" Ziva said, smiling at her and Tony. She liked Gunnery Sgt. Hanlon already.

"DiNozzo!" Gibbs shouted coming down the stairs, "Do I have to stick my boot up your ass?"

"No, Boss," Tony replied straightening his tie, "She was just... helping me... fix my tie." Ziva and Delaney both smiled at Tony, who smiled sheepishly and sat down at his desk.

"Hey, Gunny." Delaney said as Gibbs walked over to her, and Tony was surprised that Gibbs didn't correct her. He usually didn't let anyone call him Gunny.

Instead he just said, "Hey kid. Let's go to the conference room and talk. DiNozzo! Get Gunnery Sgt. Hanlon a coffee and meet us in the conference room."

Tony replied, "One Marine coffee coming up."

Once the three of them were settled in the conference room Gibbs said, "I'm glad to see that you made it back east ok. You could have called me. I would have helped you get settled."

She smiled at him, sipped her coffee and said, "I know, Gunny, but I didn't want to bother you. I had a few friends come out to stay with me the first week."

"Never a bother, kid." Gibbs said. "I'm sorry about your Aunt Mary. I got your letter after she passed. She was a nice lady."

Delaney nodded sadly and said, "Yeah, she was the best..."

"Is that why you decided to come back east?" Gibbs asked and she nodded.

"This was my first home. I love California, but even when Aunt Mary was alive it never truly felt like home. After she passed, I knew it was time to come back. I miss Camp Pendleton, but everyone at Quantico has been great, with the exception of Captain Bertram. He always seems to have a bug up his ass... Anyway, I'm really glad to see you Gibbs. I was actually going to call you this week and ask your advice on something."

"What's that?" he asked.

She replied, "Before August I need to decide if I am staying in the Corps or not. Don't get me wrong, I love the Marines. Always will. It's just that if I decide to stay, there's a 99% chance that I'll get deployed to the middle east again. I've already been over there for three tours. I've had guys tell me, 'females don't see combat.' Bull. I've got my fair share of battle scars," she said, rolling up a sleeve and showing two scars from old gunshot wounds, "and I've killed more men than I care to remember. I just don't know if I can do it a fourth time."

Gibbs nodded and said, "Most guys can't handle it after one tour. Nobody would blame you if you didn't sign up for a fourth trip."

"I just need some more time to think it over." she said. "Well, I guess we should get down to business. What information can I give you gentlemen?"

"Whatever you got," Tony said to her.

She told them all she knew about Lance Corporal Citrix; about how bright he was and how he'd always say hello and be friendly, but never seemed to let anyone get too close.

"He was a great Marine, and he was always quiet, but for the last two weeks he seemed distracted. I tried several times to get him to talk to me. I really reamed him out the one time, too. He was off of his game bad. He just said that school work was stressing him out."

"Was he close to any of the other guys in the unit?" Tony asked. "Maybe he said something to one of them?"

"I doubt it. As soon as we got the news this morning, it was my job to tell the guys. They all seemed shocked, and I asked them all individually if they knew a reason that he would turn up dead in the park. They all told me that they had no idea. It's not hard to tell if someone is lying. My gut didn't set off any alarms."

Gibbs nodded, satisfied with her answer and Tony just smiled.

"I don't know if this will help, but I remember about a week and a half ago," she began, "all of the other guys in the unit had left for the night. I was leaving, and when I got to my car, I noticed that Citrix's car was still there, so I waited for him. I wanted to make sure everything was ok. When he finally came to the parking lot, he was walking with Captain Bertram. I heard Bertram say to him, 'You better not screw this up.' I asked Citrix about it the next day, and he said that he and Captain Bertram were talking about his education. I didn't believe him, and pushed him for more information, but he insisted that's all it was. You can push a bump on a log..."

"But you can't make it move." Gibbs finished. "Do you think that's all there was to it, Laney?" Gibbs asked, and she thought for a moment before shaking her head.

"No way, Gibbs. No way in hell. He doesn't worry about anyone but himself. Puts on a good show when people are watching, but when they're not, he's a cantankerous old bastard. God help him if he had anything to do with this..." she said clenching her fist.

Gibbs placed his hand gently over hers and say, "Don't worry, kid. If he's involved, we'll find out."

She nodded and said, "I'm sorry that I don't have more information for you guys."

Gibbs shook his head and said, "Rule number six, Laney."

"I know, Gunny. Never apologize, it's a sign of weakness. I just wish I had more information to give you," she said and then she smiled.

"You know, Gibbs, the first person to lay down that rule was John Wayne in..."

"She Wore A Yellow Ribbon, 1949." Tony finished for her. "Are you a fan of The Duke?" he asked and she smiled at him.

"Who isn't?"

"We should do a John Wayne movie marathon some night." he told her, and before she could reply, Gibbs jumped in.

"That sounds great, DiNozzo, and I'll let you do that."

"Really, Boss?" Tony asked him.

"Sure," Gibbs replied, "As soon as you learn how to keep it in your pants."

Delaney started snickering at Gibbs' reply, and Tony smiled sheepishly.

"It was nice meeting you, Miss Delaney," Tony said as he stood up.

Gibbs smirked as he stood and said, "DiNozzo, go help Ziva."

Delaney stood as well and asked, "Gibbs, before I go, is Ducky here?"

Gibbs nodded and said, "That's where we're headed. I didn't tell him you were coming. Figured you could surprise him." She grinned and followed him back to the elevator.

When they walked into autopsy, Ducky was looking at x-rays.

"Hey, Duck." Gibbs said.

Without turning around, Ducky said, "Hello, Jethro. You know, as much as I enjoy your visits, you were here only a little more than an hour ago. I'm afraid that I don't have any new information for you at this time."

"I'm not here for information, Ducky." Gibbs told him. "You have a visitor."

Ducky turned around and Delaney smiled brightly and said, "Hello, Tonog."

His face lit up.

"Little angel," he said as he embraced her in a hug, "How are you, my dear? You look wonderful."

"I missed you, Tonog." she told him and he said,

"I missed you too. You must come by the house for dinner. Now that you live in the area again, there is much catching up to do. So what brings you to NCIS, dear?" he asked.

"Lance Corporal Citrix was in my unit. I was here giving Gibbs information."

Ducky looked sad and said, "I am very sorry for your loss."

She smiled at him and said, "Thanks, Tonog. Well, I won't keep you guys any longer, I know you have a case to solve."

She hugged Ducky warmly, and then turned and embraced Gibbs.

"It was so nice to see you two again. We have a lot of catching up to do," she told them.

"We'll be in touch," Gibbs said, and Ducky held out his arm.

"May I escort you out?" She took his arm and they followed Gibbs to the elevator.

Gibbs went down to Abby's lab and asked, "How are those computers coming along, McGee?"

"Boss, I just broke through the encryptions, and I'm searching all files and email accounts. The only thing that I've found so far is a cryptic email to Lance Corporal Citrix from Captain Bertram. He talks about 'snowbirds migrating, and finding their nests.' I don't think he was talking about penguins."

Gibbs turned to Abby. "Abbs, what did you find out about the missing case?"

"So glad you asked, Gibbs," she replied with a smile. "Based on what we have of the serial number and the dimensions of the bottom of the case that Tony gave me, I figured out that it's a top of the line security safe sold exclusively by an online safe company. This thing is seriously secure, too. Like, you'd need a couple sticks of dynamite to get into it if you didn't know the code. Oh, and I called and sweet talked one of the managers into giving me a list of everyone that purchased that particular model in the last year, and guess whose name came up? She asked as she handed him a printed receipt.

"Captain Lewis Bertram." Gibbs said. "McGee, did you find out if Lance Corporal Citrix had a cellphone?"

"Boss, I checked with all of the major carriers. We didn't find one on him or on base or at his apartment, so I assume he didn't."

Gibbs glared at him, "You ASSUME, McGee? How many 23 year olds do you know that don't have a cellphone? he asked.

"I will check with the smaller carriers in the area," Tim replied, not wanting to invoke the wrath of Gibbs. "Yeah you do that, McGee." Gibbs said before walking out of the lab and going back up to the bullpen.

"Tony, Ziva, what did you find out about Bertram?" Gibbs asked, and Tony replied,

"Well, after extensively looking through his credit card statements, which should have been McGeek's job, we learned that two months ago Bertram used a website to purchase an..."

"Electronic security safe." Gibbs finished for him. "Same one we found a print for at the scene. I know that already."

Ziva spoke up this time and said, "Gibbs, Captain Bertram had Top Secret security clearance. The case that he bought was obviously at the scene, along with a dead terrorist. Maybe he was looking to sell some military secrets? He could have been using Citrix as a mail boy."

"Package boy," Tony corrected. "It looks like Ziva might be onto something. I just found a deposit made to Bertram from an offshore account two days ago. $225,000." Gibbs frowned.

"That's the same day that $25,000 showed up in Citrix's account from offshore. Tony, take Ziva and get Bertram in here for questioning."

"On it, Boss." Tony said, and he and Ziva walked out to find Captain Bertram.

Less than an hour later, Tony and Ziva were back, empty-handed.

"Captain Bertram signed off of the base at 1600 hours. He is not home, and nobody we talked to has seen him." Ziva told Gibbs, and Gibbs sighed, frustrated. His phone rang and he answered it,

"Yeah, Gibbs."

It was Tim, and he said, "Found something, Boss."

"We'll be right down," he said, and Tony and Ziva followed him down to Abby's lab.

When they got there, Tim said, "Boss, Citrix did have a cellphone under a small, DC based carrier and I pulled his call history. The last number dialed was to Delaney Hanlon's home phone in Fairfax at 2300 hours last night."

**TBC...**


	5. Trouble

**I do not own NCIS...**

**Chapter 5: Trouble**

Gibbs felt his gut twist into a knot. She had not mentioned receiving a phone call from him. He stood thinking for a moment, and then his phone rang.

"Yeah, Gibbs." It was Delaney and she sounded panicked.

"Gunny, Citrix left a message on my home phone at 2300 last night. I haven't checked my messages until now."

Gibbs sighed in relief that she was not keeping anything from him, but the knot in his gut did not loosen.

"I know, we just got a hold of his cellphone records, but we don't know where the phone is. What did he say?"

"He kept apologizing, and said he messed up bad. Apparently, he was supposed to be delivering a case full of Top Secret military information that Bertram sold to a terrorist organization. He said he needed to fix his mistake and kill the terrorist. He also said that he knew Bertram was going to kill him for what he was about to do, so he changed the code on the case without telling him. Write this down, Gunny. He said the code was 19890807, which is his birthday. Told me to make absolutely sure that Captain Bertram didn't get it. That's it."

Gibbs was still in Abby's lab with the team, and Delaney was at her home in Fairfax, looking out the window.

"If you guys don't have Citrix's cell, then there's a chance that Captain Bertram has it. That means that he knows Citrix called me, but if he knew, he didn't let on to it on base today. Someone followed me home from the Navy Yard. They're parked in a blue van two houses down." Gibbs ran his hand through his hair.

"Rule number 40, Laney."

Ziva, Tony, Abby and Tim all looked at each other, worried. Rules in the 40's were for emergency use only, and rule 40 was not a good one: If it seems like someone is out to get you, they are.

"Listen to me," Gibbs said, "I want you to run to your car and drive straight here. Don't stop for anyone, run traffic lights if you have to, but don't hurt yourself. I'm going to stay on the phone with you until you get here."

Delaney grabbed her gun and holstered it at her hip. She also grabbed a digital audio recorder, turned it on and stuffed in into the inside pocket on her shirt. She ran out to her car and tore out of the driveway.

"On my way, Gunny." The van that was parked a few houses down pulled out behind her.

"I've definitely got company, Gibbs," she said as she sped down the street.

"Just keep going," Gibbs told her as the team anxiously listened to his side of the conversation. Tim suddenly jumped on Abby's computer and started typing, concentrating hard.

"I'm going to trace her cell so we know where she is," he said as he typed.

After a minute Delaney said, "Gunny, the van just turned down a side street."

"That doesn't mean they're not still following you," Gibbs told her. "Don't stop."

Suddenly the van pulled out in front of her at an intersection and she slammed on the brakes. Gibbs heard the tires screech.

"What's wrong?" He shouted into the phone.

"Oh, shit, Gunny. I gotta go," she said and dropped the phone on the seat.

"Delaney? Delaney! Damn it, talk to me, Marine!" Gibbs shouted, but she didn't hear him. She jumped out of her car and reached for her weapon.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," said one of the two men that jumped out of the back of the van as they pointed guns at her. One of them pulled her gun out of its holster, and when he did, she knocked it out of his hand, punched him in the face, and tried to disarm the other one. She got the weapon from him, but before she could fire, the one that she punched grabbed her from behind and knocked the gun from her hands, while the other man approached her from the front. She kicked him in the stomach, and then tried to kick him again, but he blocked it and punched her in the face, hard. They dragged her to the van, and peeled off, leaving her car sitting in the middle of the intersection, and her weapon lying on the ground. Gibbs listened intently. He heard her struggling, and then heard the screeching of tires. Then silence. He felt like he was going to vomit.

"McGee, do you have her?" Gibbs asked.

"Got it , Boss" he said jumping up.

"Let's go," Gibbs said, and the agents ran out of the lab.

When they got to her car, it was abandoned in the middle of a quiet intersection, the driver's side door still open. Her phone lay open on the seat, and her gun was on the ground a few feet from the car.

"Let's get this processed quick, we've got work to do," Gibbs said as he surveyed the scene. He looked up and saw a camera mounted to the traffic light.

"McGee, we need the footage from that camera. Tony, Ziva, let's get this done and get the car towed back to headquarters. We can't afford to lose any time."

Back at headquarters, Tim put the footage from the traffic cam up on the plasma.

"Boss, we ran the plate on the van but it came back stolen. We put out a BOLO." he said. They watched as Delaney struggled with her captors.

"She's a ninja just like you, Ziva." Tony said. "I wouldn't want to fight her, she got some good hits in."

"Yeah, but the odds were against her," Gibbs replied. "McGee, zoom in on the driver. Can you enhance that?" he asked. McGee did as Gibbs asked, and soon they had a clear shot of who was driving.

"Captain Bertram." McGee stated.

"That son of a bitch... Run facial recognition on the other two," Gibbs told him, "I want names, addresses, phone numbers, pets, what they had for breakfast, everything."

Delaney struggled and tried to fight the two men, even as the van drove away. They held her down and duct taped her hands and feet together.

Captain Bertram glanced in the rear view mirror as he drove and said, "It's pointless to struggle, Gunny. I need information from you, and I'm not letting you go until I get it." She glared at the back of his head, and Bertram could feel her eyes on him.

"You're not gonna let me go, Captain. You killed Lance Corporal Citrix, and you'll kill me, too."

"Yes, you're right, Gunny. I probably will kill you. But not before I get the information that I need. Had I thought to check Citrix's phone last night, this could all be over by now." She struggled to free herself from the tape, but to no avail.

"You might as well kill me now, Captain, because I ain't telling you shit!" she shouted at him furiously.

Bertram glanced into the back seat again, "Marcus, shut her up, will you?" he said. One of the men sitting in the back hit her in the head hard with the butt of his gun and she blacked out.

Back at headquarters, Tim jumped up from his desk and said,

"Boss, we got a hit. Facial recognition didn't find anything on the one guy, but this guy," he said, putting the information on the plasma, "is former PFC Marc Hillias. Dishonorably discharged two years ago after starting several fist fights with the guys in his unit and his commanding officer. He spent a year in prison after he got out of the Corps for a weapons charge. Arlington PD currently has a warrant out for his arrest for parole violation. Three weeks ago, he failed to check in with his parole officer, and apparently has not been home since."

Gibbs sighed and said, "Alright, McGee, see if he has a cellphone that we can trace. Ziva, I want you to talk to his commanding officer and the guys that were in his unit. See if anyone has talked to him recently. DiNozzo, get his parole officer in here, and tell him to bring Hillias' file." The knot in Gibbs' gut tightened more when he glanced at the clock. It had been over an hour since Delaney was abducted, and Gibbs knew that the chances of finding her alive diminished with every passing minute.

Gunnery Sgt. Hanlon awoke with a start and looked around. She tried to move, but was tied to a chair, her hands cuffed tightly behind her back. She had a terrible headache, and could feel the blood that was drying on her face from when she was hit with the gun. It looked like she was in a barn. She looked straight ahead and saw Captain Bertram sitting a few feet in front of her, with a case at his feet.

"Welcome back, Gunny. Did you have a nice nap?" he asked. She glared at him, and he continued speaking.

"Gunny, I have a little problem," he said, standing up and walking towards her. "That case over there holds some very valuable information that someone has already paid me quite a bit of money for, and I can't get the rest of my money until I deliver. The problem is that our friend Lance Corporal Citrix changed the code on me and killed my first contact."

He walked over to a table set up in the corner that her other two abductors were sitting at, drinking. He poured himself a glass of scotch, took a sip, then set it down and walked back over to her.

Before he could say anything else Delaney looked up at him and said,

"Domestic Terrorism is a hell of a charge, Captain. And you and I both know how much the military loves terrorists."

He glared at her and replied,

"I don't consider myself a terrorist, Gunny. I am simply capitalizing on information that's been made available to me."

"You're selling military secrets to terrorists, you piece of shit!" she shouted, and he backhanded her across the face.

"I know Citrix called you last night," he said, holding up the Lance Corporal's phone and then dropping it at her feet. "I'm sure he told you the code. Now I need you to give it to me. What is it?" he asked furiously.

"Kiss my ass, Captain." she replied and he backhanded her again.

"Tell me!" he roared and she spit in his face a mixture of blood and saliva. This time he punched her so hard that her chair tipped over. She hit the floor and was seeing starts from the repeated blows to the face, but was still not going to talk. Captain Bertram sighed.

"I have to go to the house to make a phone call," he told the two men drinking in the corner. "You boys work on her until I get back." Delaney closed her eyes as the men walked up to her, and tried her best to mentally prepare for the ass kicking that she knew was coming.

**TBC...**


	6. Hold On, Devil Dog

**I do not own NCIS...**

**Chapter 6: Hold on, Devil Dog**

Gibbs was in the conference room talking to the parole officer from Arlington PD. He gave Gibbs the file on Hillias, but it contained no useful information.

"As for where he is, your guess is as good as mine, Agent Gibbs," the officer told him.

Ziva walked into the conference room and said, "I spoke with his old unit and commanding officer. No one has seen or talked to him recently. Also, McGee tried to trace Captain Bertram's and Marc Hillias' cell phones, but he is not picking up a signal." Gibbs pounded his fist on the table, frustrated that they were getting nowhere.

The parole officer thought for a moment and said, "Hold on, Agent Gibbs. I remember a while back, Hillias told me of an old farm in Fredericksburg that's been in his family for a few generations. His parents own it now. He told me once that no one lived there and thought it was a waste. Fredericksburg is out of my jurisdiction, but not yours. It's worth a shot."

Gibbs jumped up from the table and ran back into the bullpen.

"McGee, do a search for farms in Fredericksburg owned by the Hillias family."

Tim nodded, "On it, Boss." After a minute he said, "Boss, I got it. I'm sending directions to my phone now."

"Get a satellite fix on, I want to see it," Gibbs said, and McGee started typing furiously. He put a satellite image up on the plasma and zoomed in on the property. There was a blue van parked next to the barn.

"Got you, you bastard," Gibbs said, "Let's go!" he yelled to his team, and the four of them rushed for the cars. Fredericksburg was a little more than an hour drive from DC, but they knew with Gibbs driving one car and Ziva driving the other, they could get there in half of the time.

"Hold on, Devil Dog," Gibbs thought as he tore out of the Navy Yard, "I'm coming to get you."

While Captain Bertram was at the house making his phone call, his two goons were working on Delaney in the barn as instructed. While she was on the ground, they kicked her in the ribs until she felt them starting to crack and she was gasping for air. Then they sat her back up and took turns hitting her in the face until Bertram came back. By the time he returned to the barn, one of her eyes was swollen shut and had a gash under it. Blood was pouring from her mouth and her face was covered in it. Bertram's goons sat back down at the table to resume drinking, and Bertram pulled his chair closer to her.

"We're running out of time, Gunny," he told her. "In two hours, I need to meet my contact in Pratt Park. So you need to start talking." Delaney spit out some of the blood that was filling her mouth and looked him dead in the eye.

"I already told you, Captain. You might as well kill me. I'm not telling you shit," she told him. Captain Bertram sighed and pulled his gun out of its holster. He walked over to her, hit her in the side of the head with it and she blacked out. She awoke when he threw a glass of scotch in her face.

"Oh, you mother fucker..." she said slowly as the scotch started to burn.

"There we are!" Captain Bertram said, "Those half hour cat naps will do you a world of good!" He took out his gun again. This time he cocked it, and pressed the barrel against her forehead.

"Now you better start fucking talking," he whispered, completely unaware that Gibbs and his team had just gotten to the edge of the property, and were now making their way to the barn on foot.

"Kill me," she said to him again.

He smiled at her and said, "I'm not going to kill you, yet. I'm just going to make you wish that I had killed you." He took the gun off of her head and moved it to her left shoulder.

"The code!" he demanded.

She smiled defiantly at him and whispered, "Fuck you."

Captain Bertram sighed. "As you wish," he said and pulled the trigger. She felt the bullet tear through her shoulder, and for the first time since she was abducted she cried out in pain. Her shoulder started bleeding profusely, and she started going into shock. Her head slumped forward and she began to pray for death to come quickly.

As soon as Gibbs and his team heard the gunshot, the went racing for the barn.

As the approached the doors Gibbs whispered, "You kill Hillias and the other one if you have to, but you leave Bertram to me."

His team nodded, and then they heard Captain Bertram say,"No rest for the weary, Gunny! I don't want to shoot you again. Just give me the code, then I can put you out of my misery!" Gibbs and Tony kicked open the barn doors.

"Federal Agents!" Gibbs shouted. The two men sitting in the corner picked up their guns, aimed them at the team and were promptly shot by Tim and Ziva. Tony and Gibbs' guns never moved off of Captaim Bertram, whose gun was still aimed at Delaney.

"It's all over, Bertram. Drop your weapon!" Tony commanded.

Gibbs' gut twisted into knots when he saw his young friend. Her head was hanging limply in front of her. She was tied to a chair, and handcuffed, blood dripping off of her and forming small pools on the floor beneath her. She wasn't moving. Bertram just stood there, his gun still aimed at Delaney.

"It wasn't supposed to go down like this, Gibbs," he said. "No one was supposed to get hurt."

"Drop your weapon," Gibbs said to him. "This is your last warning." Captain Bertram moved the weapon off of Delaney and put it to his own head.

"You don't want to do that, Captain," Gibbs said. He wanted this son of a bitch alive so he could pay for what he did. Bertram didn't say anything, and continued to holding the gun to his head. Gibbs knew that they had to get the gun away from him. He kept looking over at the Gunny tied to the chair. She hadn't moved. Gibbs was almost at his boiling point. He realized that he could not fire his weapon to disarm the Captain. If he was going to shoot, he was shooting to kill. Ziva saw the look on his face.

"I got him, Gibbs," she said, aiming her weapon at Bertram's hand. Bertram cocked the gun.

"Ziva!" Gibbs said, and she immediately fired, knocking the gun out of his hand and shooting off his index finger.

The weapon hit the floor, and Bertram crashed to his knees, screaming in pain. The agents rushed forward. Ziva kicked the gun out of his reach and McGee handcuffed him, then called for backup. Gibbs and Tony ran over to Delaney. Tony began to cut through the ropes while Gibbs checked her for a pulse. He breathed a sigh of relief.

"She's alive," he said thankfully. Tony finished cutting through the ropes and finally freed her bruised wrists from the handcuffs. She fell forward into Gibbs' arms.

"Gibbs," she whispered as she breathed in the wonderfully familiar scent of Old Spice, sawdust and coffee.

"I'm here, pretty girl, it's ok. You're safe now." he told her. Her head was resting on his shoulder, and she shook it slightly.

"Gunny, he's supposed to meet someone," she whispered, "Pratt Park. An hour?" She started to lose consciousness again, and Gibbs held on to her so she wouldn't fall to the floor.

"DiNozzo, call Fornell and get the FBI down there," he said before turning his attention back to Delaney. "Sweetheart, where is all of this blood coming from?" he asked, alarmed a the amount that was on the floor beneath her.

"Left shoulder, Gunny." she whispered.

"McGee! Get over here and hold her up." Gibbs said. Tim took Gibbs' place in front of the chair, and held her as she sat, her head now resting on his shoulder, and covering it in blood. She opened her eye that was not swollen shut and saw Tim's ruined shirt.

"Agent McGee, I'm sorry. I ruined your shirt." she said.

"It's ok. I didn't like this shirt, anyway," he replied.

"Lean her back, McGee," Gibbs said and when she was sitting upright, he ripped the front of her shirt open and buttons went flying, startling Tim. They removed her shirt as gently as they could and she cried out in pain when they slipped her left arm out of it. He dropped her shirt on the floor and Tim heard something hard hit the concrete. The white tank top she had on was almost completely stained red, and he saw the bullet hole. Gibbs pulled the shirt off of his back and wrapped it around her shoulder. Then he removed his belt and tightened it around her shoulder, putting pressure on the wound.

"Let's get you out of here, kid." Gibbs said.

"Can you stand, Gunny?" Tim asked her. She tried but was too weak, and fell back into Tim's arms. She started to shiver, and soon her whole body was trembling. Tony took off his overcoat and put it around her as gently as he could.

"Did you call Fornell?" Gibbs asked him.

"He said he's on his way," Tony replied. They heard sirens approaching. Bertram was still on his knees on the floor, his hands cuffed behind his back, and trying to stop blood from pouring out of the hole where his finger used to be.

When he heard the sirens he asked, "Are you at least going to uncuff me when they take me to the hospital?" Tony laughed at him.

"Hospital? You're not going to the hospital."

Bertram's eyes got wide. "What?! She shot off my finger!" he yelled.

"Yup," Tony replied, "She sure did. But look at it," he said pointing to his finger laying on the floor. "It's obliterated. They can't reattach that. So, they'll wrap your hand in the ambulance. Maybe give you a little something to avoid infection. But you are getting taken into our custody TONIGHT."

Several ambulances and more agents pulled up next to the barn. Marc Hillias was dead when the paramedics got to him, but the other man was still alive. They brought a stretcher over to Delaney, who was now sitting on the floor leaning on Tim. Tim had his arms around her and was whispering to her, "You're gonna be ok, Gunny. Just hang in there, ok?" The paramedics lowered the stretcher to the floor, and Gibbs and Tim helped her roll onto it.

After she was secured, Gibbs told the paramedic, "You call whatever hospital that you're taking her to, and tell them that I want her airlifted to Bethesda."

"Yes, sir," the paramedic replied and started rolling her out of the barn, and Gibbs walked along side her.

"Do you need someone to go with you?" he asked.

She opened her good eye and smiled weakly, "Thanks for saving me again, Gunny. I think I'll be ok by myself this time."

He nodded and said, "Just hang in there, Devil Dog. I'll send Ducky over to stay with you." She closed her eye again and they lifted her into the ambulance and drove away.

"McGee, call Ducky and have him meet her at Bethesda."

Gibbs walked back into the barn, and saw a paramedic kneeling next to Captain Bertram, who was still handcuffed and bleeding. The paramedic was having a hard time cleaning the wound with the way Bertram's hands were bound. Gibbs knelt and uncuffed Bertram. The Captain breathed a sigh of relief, but Gibbs quickly pulled his hands around and cuffed them in front of him.

Bertram started yelling, "This is ridiculous!" He shouted as he stood up to face Gibbs, "You can't treat me like this!" Gibbs took a step toward him, his face getting red and his blue eyes flashing with anger. He put one hand on Bertram's chest, and pushed him against the wall, hard.

"No Bertram, what's ridiculous is you shooting and beating a female Marine, YOUR MARINE, to bloody pulp and killing another one!" Gibbs shouted at him. Bertram was not expecting Gibbs to react so violently, and he shrunk back against the wall. Gibbs gave him one last shove for good measure, and then turned to the paramedic, "Those handcuffs don't come off. You wrap his hand in the ambulance, and when you're done..." he turned to Bertram and looked him in the eye, "His ass is mine."

**TBC...**


	7. I'm Sure You Meant To Say Interrogate

**Sorry for the delay updating. DS2010 and torontogirl12... You guys are awesome! I do not own NCIS...**

**Chapter 7: I'm Sure You Meant To Say Interrogate, Boss**

Ducky paced in autopsy, wringing his hands. He heard that Delaney had been abducted, and that the team had rushed out to find her. Jimmy saw the worried look on his face and walked up to him.

"Are you alright, Doctor?" he asked quietly.

Ducky replied, "Yes, Mr. Palmer, I am fine. But our young Gunnery Sgt. is not."

Jimmy thought for a second and said, "Are you talking about the female marine that was abducted earlier? You usually don't get this upset about a case." Jimmy waited for his reply, concerned for his friend and mentor.

"Well, this is not just a case to me. Gunnery Sgt. Hanlon is a friend of mine." Ducky told him and Jimmy looked surprised.

"Really? I'm sorry, Doctor. How did you know her?" he asked curiously.

"She was quite small, only 5 years old when I met her," Ducky began, "And she was involved in a terrible car accident in which both of her parents died. The car began to burn and she was pulled to safety mere seconds before it exploded by none other than Gunnery Sgt. Leroy Jethro Gibbs."

"Really..." Jimmy said, getting completely absorbed in the story, and Ducky continued.

"She managed to escape with minor abrasions and bruising. Gibbs had them take her to Bethesda, where I was the medical examiner at the time. The poor girl wandered down to the morgue looking for her parents. That was the first time I met Gibbs. He cared for her for nearly two months before she went to live with an aunt out west. She and I would talk for hours, she was quite a bright little girl, too." Ducky smiled at his memory before the reality of the current situation came crashing back down on him. He sighed and then heard the phone ring.

He walked over to his desk and answered, "Autopsy."

"Ducky, it's McGee. We found Gunnery Sgt. Hanlon. She's alive, but they beat her up pretty bad and she has a gunshot wound in her shoulder."

"My God..." Ducky said, and Tim continued.

"They're going to airlift her to Bethesda. Gibbs wants you to meet her there. We've also got a body here, Ducky."

"I am leaving now," Ducky replied, "I will send Mr. Palmer for the body." He hung up the phone and turned to Jimmy.

"They found her, alive, but beaten and shot. Call Timothy for directions, there is a body at the scene you must attend to. I have to get to Bethesda." He turned around, grabbed his coat and rushed to the elevator.

While a still handcuffed Captain Bertram was in the ambulance getting his hand cleaned and wrapped, Gibbs and his team continued to process the crime scene. They found out that the other man who was with Bertram and Hillias was named Dennis McNamara and that he lived in Fredericksburg, but that's all they knew. He was being taken to the hospital in another ambulance, escorted by two agents. A paramedic helped Bertram down from the ambulance just in time for him to see Ziva bringing out the locked case. It was in a large evidence back, and Gibbs was walking behind her.

"You won't be able to open it!" Bertram shouted at them, "Citrix changed the code. If Hanlon knew what it was, she would have told me! No girl can take a beating like that and not talk." Gibbs sighed as his anger once again began to rise. He walked up to Captain Bertram and didn't stop until they were nearly nose to nose.

"Is that right, Bertram?" Gibbs asked quietly, trying to control his rage. "Well, I hate to tell you this, but she did know the code. Gave it to me before you got to her. She didn't give it to you because she was doing her job, defending her country against enemies, foreign and domestic."

Bertram glared back at him and said, "I don't believe you."

Gibbs took a step back, and without breaking eye contact with Bertram, called out, "Ziva! The case." Gibbs took a few more steps back and pulled on a fresh pair of latex gloves. Ziva set the case down next to Gibbs. When he turned his back to Bertram and knelt next to it, Ziva pulled her gun out of its holster; holding it at her side, she stood in between the two men, facing the Captain. Gibbs opened the evidence bag, pulled out the case, and set it on top of the bag. He entered the code into the electronic lock, and they all heard the lock being released. Bertram's eyes got wide and his face paled as the case opened and Gibbs started pulling out stacks of military files stamped "Top Secret." Tony and Tim walked over to them and saw the look on Bertram's face as Gibbs pulled out the files.

"Wow, your day just keeps getting worse, doesn't it?" Tony asked him.

Tim said, "Just wait until Gibbs get's him into interrogation." They both smiled at him, and Bertram felt his face getting red with anger.

Before he could react, Tony grabbed his arm and said, "Time to go, Captain Hook." As Tony put Bertram into the back of the Charger, Tim walked up to Gibbs and held up a small, scratched electronic device.

"What is that?" Gibbs asked.

Tim replied, "I found it in the Gunny's inside shirt pocket. It looks like a digital recording device. I won't be able to tell what's on it until we get back to headquarters and I can hook it up to my computer."

Gibbs nodded and said, "Go, McGee. Have Abby help you. We'll meet you back there."

Ducky got to Bethesda, and was anxiously waiting for the helicopter transporting Gunnery Sgt. Hanlon to arrive. He had a trauma surgeon and a team of nurses standing by. He paced back and forth in front of the doors that led out to the landing pad.

The trauma surgeon Dr. Spencer, who was a friend of Ducky's from when he worked in the morgue at Bethesda, put a hand on his shoulder and said, "Relax, Ducky. We'll take good care of her." Ducky smiled at his friend, grateful for the support, and then they heard a helicopter approaching. Once it landed, the team rushed over, lifted the stretcher to the ground, and began to quickly wheel her inside. Delaney opened her good eye and saw Ducky.

"Hi, Tonog," she whispered. Ducky was horrified at the state she was in.

"My God, little angel, are you alright?" he asked. The entire right side of her face was badly bruised, and her eye was completely swollen shut. She had a deep cut under her left eye, which was also blackened, a split lip, and a gash on her head, not to mention the gunshot wound in her shoulder.

"I'm still alive," she said to him before the blood that was still filling her mouth caused her to start coughing. Pain ripped through her ribs, and she started groaning in pain. Once they got her into the trauma center, they lifted her on to the exam table and began to cut the blood soaked clothes off of her.

One of the nurses looked down at her and said, "We've got to strip you down, sweetie." She reached around until she found Ducky's hand with her own.

"Don't leave me, Tonog," she whispered.

"Do not worry, little angel, I am not going anywhere," he said, and like the true gentleman that all of his friends knew that he was, he stood by her head and turned his back to her, so if he looked down, all that he could see was her face.

As the doctors began to examine her she said, "Tonog, my shirt... There's a recorder in it... I forgot... Can you call Tim? He's the computer and electronics guy, right?" Ducky looked at her, confused, and before he could respond she cried out in paid when the doctor started to feel her ribs.

"Tonog, please... Call him? I need to talk to him." Ducky quickly dialed Tim's number and handed Delaney his phone.

Tim answered, "Special Agent McGee."

"Hi, Tim, it's Gunnery Sgt. Hanlon." Tim furrowed his brow, confused as to why she was calling.

"Gunny, hi. Are you ok? I mean... Is everything alright?" he asked. The doctor started cleaning the wound on her shoulder and she cried out again, cursing, "Son of a bitch! Ugh... Sorry Tim, it's ok... Listen, there was a digital audio recorder in the inside pocket of my shirt, I don't know how well it worked, but there could be evidence on it."

Tim smiled and said, "One step ahead of you, Gunny. I'm on my way to headquarters with it now. You just worry about getting well. When this is all over I'll take you out to dinner."

"That sounds good, Tim. I gotta go... Talk to you soon." She hung up without waiting for a reply and handed Ducky his phone. Tim pressed the gas pedal in the Charger, and swore that he would make sure that Bertram and his goons got put away for a long time for making her suffer.

He looked down at the evidence bag with the recorder in it on the seat next to him and said aloud, "She's smarter than you, Bertram, you bastard." He pressed the gas pedal down further and raced towards DC.

At the crime scene, Gibbs walked back into the barn where Tony and Ziva were finishing up. He stood in the doorway for a moment, watching and admiring how well they worked together. The were both excellent agents individually, but together these two were unstoppable. His gut twisted slightly as he continued to watch them. He saw the looks and glances they gave to each other. The flirty smiles, and the eye contact. Oh boy, the eye contact. Gibbs knew that they were in love. As hard as they tried to hide it from each other and everyone else, you had to be blind not to see it. Gibbs knew that he would have to say something to one of them eventually, but now was not the time. Tony looked up and saw Gibbs.

"Oh, hey Boss, we're just finishing up here. Where's McGee?" he asked.

"On his way back to headquarters with an audio recorder Delaney had in her pocket. Let's wrap this up and get out of here." Gibbs replied and then turned and walked out of the barn before Tony or Ziva could say anything else.

Dr. Spencer finished cleaning Delaney's wounds and stitching her face and mouth. Tears were soaking her face from the amount of pain she was in, but Dr. Spencer did not want to give her pain medicine until he knew that her organs were ok.

Ducky took the bags that were filled with her clothes and shoes, kissed the top of her head gently and said, "I will be right down the hall when you get done." Over an hour later, a nurse went into the waiting room looking for Ducky.

"How is she?" he asked and the nurse replied, "Everything internally looks good," Ducky breathed a sigh of relief and the nurse continued. "She's got a few broken ribs and a lot of bruising, but she's going to be ok. The orthopedic surgeon Dr. Thomson wants her in surgery for her shoulder tonight, though. She's being prepped now and wants to see you." Ducky left the bags of clothes in the waiting room and followed the nurse out.

At headquarters, Gibbs sat down his desk and pulled out his phone. Tony and Ziva put Bertram into interrogation, and now sat at their desks, waiting for Gibbs' next order. Gibbs dialed Ducky's number and Ducky answered on the first ring.

"Ah, Jethro, I was just about to call you."

"How is she, Duck?" Gibbs asked as Tony and Ziva listened and pretended to look through paperwork.

"She will be fine, but they want to operate on her shoulder tonight." Ducky told him, "She wanted to speak with you before she goes in."

"Yeah, put her on," Gibbs said as Tony and Ziva listened intently to his side of the conversation. Gibbs cringed slightly when he heard her voice, which was muffled by swelling and stitches. She was groggy from the pain meds, and her voice was almost a whisper.

"Gunny?" she asked quietly into the phone and Gibbs replied, "Hey, baby girl, how are you feeling?" Tony and Ziva looked at each other and smiled. Gibbs shot them a look, but kept his attention on the slurred response that she was giving him.

"Gunny, I feel like I got hit by a truck." Tears started running down her cheeks and he heard her voice crack."They're operating on my shoulder tonight. I need you here, Gibbs." she said, and Gibbs felt his gut twist at the thought of her laying in the hospital and him not being able to be there for her.

"Sweetheart, I know you want me there, but I have to finish up here with Bertram. I will be there as soon as I'm done, ok?" he said softly, trying to reassure her.

"Ok," she whispered. "I love you, Papa."

Gibbs smiled and said, "I love you too, Pretty Girl. Can you put Tonog back on?"

Tony and Ziva looked at each other again, confused, and Ziva suddenly had an instant message appear on her screen from Tony that said, "Wow, is the great Gibbs getting soft? Who is this chick? And who is Toonuck? I though he was talking to Ducky?"

Ziva smiled and began typing her response, "She is obviously someone very dear to his heart, Tony. And he is talking to Ducky. The word is spelled Tonog, and it's Gaelic for duck. I think it's a very cute nickname for him. Stop being so nosy!"

Tony looked over at her, smiled and typed his reply, "She's obviously known Gibbs and Ducky for a long time, and now I just have to find out how. And I'm not being nosy! I am an investigator, who is now thoroughly confused. Not a good combination." Ziva smiled back at him, and began to type a reply, but stopped when Gibbs hung up his phone and said, "You two, with me." They followed him to the elevator on the other side of the stairs.

"We going to see Abby and McGeek?" Tony asked, and Gibbs nodded.

"Yup. Hopefully they'll have something for me before I go and beat the hell out of Bertram." Tony smiled and said, "I'm sure you meant to say interrogate, Boss."

**TBC... **


	8. Interrogation

**This was a fun chapter to write, I hope you guys like it. I do not own NCIS... **

**Chapter 8: Interrogation**

Gibbs, Tony and Ziva walked into Abby's lab, where Tim and Abby were both busy typing on separate computers.

"You're just in time, Boss." Tim said, and Abby looked up from her computer. She saw that Gibbs' polo shirt was missing and he was only in an undershirt. His pants sagged from his belt being missing.

Abby smiled and said, "You look good, Gibbs! Were you playing strip poker? The last time I played it was with my friend who is a transvestite..."

"Abby!" Gibbs interrupted.

"Sorry. Just curious as to why you're missing clothes... Anyway, I ran the recording through my audio software, so it cut out any long silences. We're ready when you are." Abby told them. Before Gibbs could respond, they heard the bell of the elevator. They all turned and saw Senior FBI Agent Tobias Fornell stroll into the lab, a coffee in each hand.

"Gibbs," he said, smirking at his friend, "You look like hell."

Gibbs raised and eyebrow and said, "Nice to see you too, Tobias. How did it go at Pratt Park?"

"Well, we caught three suspects. All of them here illegally, under false identities, and all of them have ties to the Fatah Al Islam terrorist organization. Only one problem... They're all small time, poorly educated. They got stuck doing the dirty work, and none of them are willing to talk about who's running the show."

Gibbs nodded and replied, "Well, we'll just have to make sure Bertram doesn't leave interrogation until I get the information that I want. Turn the tables on him."

Fornell looked at Gibbs, concerned and said, "DiNotzo filled me in on the case over the phone earlier. Is Gunnery Sgt. Delaney Hanlon the same girl..."

"Yes," Gibbs interrupted, "The same girl that you met when she came to visit me 10 years ago. She's alive. They beat and shot her, but Ducky said that she's going to pull through. We were just about to listen to the recording that she made."

"Recording?" Fornell asked, and then his face slowly broke into a smile. "She knew something bad was going down, so she hid a recorder?"

"Yup," Gibbs said, and his eyes became glued to the extra coffee that Fornell held in his hand. Fornell saw him eyeing the coffee, grinned, shoved it into his hand and said, "You're welcome."

Gibbs raised an eyebrow at him, smirked and said, "I didn't say thank you. Now be quiet. McGee, play the recording." They all stood silently and listened to the recording that the Gunnery Sgt. made. They heard her on the phone with Gibbs, and the fight she put up before being dragged away. They heard everything that Captain Bertram said to her and all of her responses, in the van and in the barn. Tim jumped when he heard Captain Bertram punch her and heard the blows from her other two attackers. Gibbs clenched his fist tighter as the recording continued to play. They all winced when they heard the gunshot and Delaney finally cry out and start groaning in pain. Right after she was shot, they heard her start to whisper in another language.

"McGee," Gibbs said after hearing her whispers, "Go back. I want to hear that again." Tim did as he was told, and Gibbs recognized the words she was speaking, "Se do bheatha, a Mhuire, ata lan de ghrasta..."

"Is that Gaelic? What is she saying?" Tony asked, hoping Ziva may be able to translate.

"It sounds like she's praying..." Ziva said, straining to hear the whispers.

"She is praying. That's the Hail Mary in Gaelic." Gibbs said, his fists still clenched.

"Didn't know you spoke Gaelic, Boss." Tim said.

Gibbs replied, "I don't. But when she stayed with me when she was little, she said that prayer every night. Her parents taught it to her right before they died."

Tony, Ziva, Tim, and Abby all looked at each other, confused, and Abby decided to speak up, "I don't get it, Bossman. She stayed with you when she was little?"

Gibbs shook his head and said, "Later, Abbs. Let's go talk to Bertram. Tony, you're with me. Abby, send the recording up to interrogation. McGee, Ziva, observation. You too, Tobias. I may need you as backup." Fornell thought about cracking a joke about Gibbs saying he needed him as backup, but decided against it when he saw the look on his face. The agents silently followed him upstairs to interrogation.

Bertram looked up as Gibbs and Tony walked into the interrogation room, and then started yelling, "About time! I've been sitting in here for hours! I haven't even had my rights read to me yet! I want a lawyer!" He stood angrily and faced the agents.

Gibbs glared at him and said quietly, but hard as stone, "Sit your ass down, Bertram."

Bertram sat when he saw the look that Gibbs was giving him, but continued to speak, "I still have rights!" he shouted.

Tony laughed and said, "Ha! Rights! Boss, he thinks he has rights! Didn't take you for the class clown type, Bertram." Captain Bertram looked confused and slightly panicked about Tony's reaction to his statement.

"I do have rights..."

"No," Gibbs interrupted, "You don't. We arrested you attempting to sell military secrets to terrorists. That makes you a terrorist."

Tony nodded in agreement and leaned over to whisper in Bertram's ear, "You remember that fun little document called The Patriot Act? Yeah, we're invoking that. So no. You don't have rights." Gibbs sat down at the table across from Captain Bertram, and Tony paced around the room, making Bertram more nervous than he already was. Gibbs was desperately trying to control his temper. He wanted to beat the shit out of Captain Bertram.

Instead he just smiled and calmly said, "Tony's right, you know. Now all we have to decide on is whether we're sending you to Gitmo. Who were you selling military secrets to?" Gibbs stared at him with his steely blue eyes, and Captain Bertram looked down at his hand, now missing a finger, wrapped and resting on the table. Tony walked up beside him and slammed his hand down hard on Bertram's, who cried out in pain and surprise.

"Hey!" Tony shouted, "The man asked you a question!" Bertram looked angry, but remained silent.

"So you're using young Marines to do your dirty work, huh? Not man enough to take on the responsibility yourself? Too scared?" Gibbs asked.

Bertram's face got red, and he replied, "Remaining silent may not be my Miranda Right, but it's my choice. Besides, what's NCIS going to do about it?" He spat out the letters NCIS and looked defiantly at the agents. Gibbs and Tony looked at each other, and then back at Bertram. Gibbs stood up and slammed his hand down on Bertram's injured one, pinning it to the table, and making Bertram grunt with pain.

"It's not just NCIS that you have to worry about, Bertram," Gibbs told him. He released Bertram's hand, turned toward the two-way mirror and said, "Agent Fornell..."

Bertram looked up as Fornell walked into interrogation and his face paled when Fornell flashed his badge and said, "Senior FBI Agent Tobias Fornell. You have me to deal with, too."

All three agents began to walk around the room, circling Bertram like sharks. Bertram began to sweat, and after a minute Gibbs said, "Tobias, is it feeling a little warm in here to you?"

Fornell replied, "Now that you mention it, Jethro, I am feeling a bit warm. Let me take off my jacket." He shrugged the blazer off of his shoulders and tossed it over the camera in the corner. Before Bertram had a chance to protest, Gibbs grabbed him by the collar and slammed him up against the two-way mirror, breaking it. Tony smirked. It wasn't the first time Gibbs used a suspect to break the mirror, and it certainly wouldn't be the last.

"Uh, oh... Now you've got him mad." Tony said. "You better start talking before he hurts you." Bertram looked at the agents, fear heavy in his eyes.

"We know that you paid Lance Corporal Citrix to deliver the files, but he changed the code and killed your first contact." Gibbs said to him, releasing his collar, but not breaking eye contact with him.

"All we need is a name," Fornell said to him, "And maybe, just maybe, if you give us the information that we're looking for, we won't have you shipped to Gitmo."

Gibbs looked at Fornell and replied, "Ah, hell Tobias, he'll be lucky to get sent to Gitmo. If he doesn't talk, the Captain might have an accident..."

Bertram's eyes got wide and he said, "You can't do that..." and all three agents laughed heartily.

"You obviously don't know Special Agent Gibbs very well." Tony said. As quick as lightning, Gibbs stopped laughing and grabbed Bertram by the collar again, this time moving away from the now broken mirror and slamming him into a side wall.

"Still don't want to talk?" Gibbs said, his anger and frustration growing by the second, "Ok. We'll do this the way that you did with Gunnery Sgt Hanlon. DiNozzo, cuff him." Gibbs pulled him back over to the table and sat him in the chair, hard. Tony cuffed his hands behind his back.

When Bertram tried to stand, Fornell put his hands on his shoulders, forced him back down and said, "I think we need to make this a little more real for the Captain. You said the Gunny was tied to the chair, right? Well, I don't have any rope, but this should do the trick." He pulled out his own set of handcuffs, linked them to Tony's and secured the other end to the chair. Now Captain Bertram was not going anywhere.

"I don't know his name!" Bertram shouted at them, his voice shaky with fear.

"What do you think, Boss?" Tony asked, "Should we take turns hitting him? Or even better," Tony continued, his face lighting up, "We could take turns shooting at him! That shot that Ziva made that took off his finger? Impressive. I kinda wanted to give it a try..." He pulled out his gun and pointed it at Bertram.

"NO!" Bertram shouted. "Don't shoot! You can't prove anything! What if Citrix paid me off to help him? He threatened me! And Gunnery Sgt. Hanlon was in on it! She knew the entire time!" Gibbs looked at Agent Fornell, and then Fornell uncuffed him from the seat, leaving Tony's cuffs around his wrists.

Once he was free from the chair, Gibbs and Tony both grabbed him by the shirt and once again slammed him up against the wall. With his hands behind his back, he cried out in pain when his injured hand hit the concrete wall. Tony and Gibbs stood firm, holding him there, and Gibbs whispered to him, "I'm getting pretty sick of your shit, Bertram. It doesn't matter what you say... Your life is over. Play the tape, McGee." On cue, Tim started playing the recording in the interrogation room.

They all heard Delaney's voice say, "You're not gonna let me go, Captain. You killed Lance Corporal Citrix, and you'll kill me, too." Then Bertram's reply, "Yes, you're right, Gunny. I probably will kill you. But not before I get the information that I need. Had I thought to check Citrix's phone last night, this could all be over by now." Bertram's face got whiter than a ghost, and McGee skipped to another part of the recording. "In two hours, I need to meet my contact in Pratt Park. So you need to start talking."

Bertram started to stammer, "I, uh... You can't... Uh... Where did you get that?" He managed to say, finally.

Tony laughed again and replied, "You aren't the brightest crayon in the box, are you? You know, next time you kidnap, beat, and shoot someone, you should check their pockets for hidden audio recorders. Oh, wait! There won't be a next time!" Tony continued to stand with Gibbs, holding Bertram against the wall.

Bertram's face was beet red and he mumbled, "That little bitch..." Gibbs heard him and pressed his forearm against Bertram's throat, effectively cutting off some, but not all, of his air flow.

Fornell stood back and watched Gibbs and Tony, smirking, "Oh, that was a bad choice of words, Bertram." Fornell said.

Bertram's eyes got wide as he struggled to breath, and rasped, "I don't know his name."

Gibbs let go of him quickly and said, "Get this piece of crap out of my interrogation room. Tobias, call the FBI and arrange his transport to Guantanamo Bay."

At that, Bertram began to panic, "Wait! Agent Gibbs, please..." he said. Gibbs finally had enough and his anger boiled over on to the Captain. Tony stepped back and Gibbs grabbed him with both hands and slammed him into the wall, making Bertram cry out in pain again.

"Why the hell should I wait, Bertram?" Gibbs screamed at him. "You're done! If I can't get you to talk, our boys at Gitmo will. They always do."

Tony started to pull the Captain out of the interrogation room, but Bertram shouted, "I know where he is! I don't know his name, but I know where you can find him! Please... Please, send me to prison. I'll confess everything. Just don't send me to Gitmo." Tears were running down his cheeks now, and Gibbs was glad that he made him cry.

Tony stopped just short of the door, and said, "You better start talking fast, crybaby," Bertram took a deep shaky breath and gave them the address and room number of a motel in Anacostia. As soon as he gave the information, Fornell was on the phone, getting the FBI to the scene.

Bertram took another deep breath when he was done and said, "I'm not a terrorist, Agent Gibbs. I've been having bad financial trouble. I needed the money. I was desperate. I was stupid. But I'm not a terrorist."

Gibbs glared at him and said, "Well, you sure as hell aren't a Marine, Bertram. You can write your confession in Leavenworth. An agent will be there tomorrow to pick it up." Gibbs walked over to him until they were once again nose to nose and whispered, "Now you get the hell out of my sight."

Tony opened the door and signaled to an agent standing in the hall. "Take him to Leavenworth." Tony said. The agent nodded and led Bertram out of the room.

Gibbs, Tony, and Fornell all went back into the observation room, where Ziva and Tim were waiting.

"The FBI is on their way, Jethro." Fornell said. Gibbs nodded and turned to his team. It wasn't hard to see that they were all exhausted.

"It's late," Gibbs said to them in a fatherly tone, "Go home. Get some sleep. See you tomorrow." he said, and Tim asked, "You going home too, Boss?"

Gibbs shook his head," No, I have to get to Bethesda. See you in the morning."

Gibbs and Fornell walked out, and Tony, Ziva and Tim gathered in the bullpen to collect their belongings. Once all three were on the elevator, Tony smiled at his partners and said, "Pizza, Probies?"

**TBC... **


	9. Recovery

**This chapter ended up being longer than I thought it would be... A little of what I am now calling McLaney thrown in at the end :) Hope you enjoy! I do not own NCIS...**

**Chapter 9: Recovery**

Gibbs walked into the surgical waiting room at Bethesda and saw Ducky sitting in one of the chairs, sleeping. He sat down next to him quietly, not wanting to wake him, closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep. A few hours later he opened his eyes and saw Ducky sitting next to him, reading the paper.

He sat up and said sleepily, "Hey, Duck. What time is it? Coffee?"

Ducky smiled and said, "Ah, good morning Jethro. It is almost 0600." Ducky handed him a coffee, knowing that he'd need it.

Gibbs gave his friend a grateful look and asked, "Is she still in surgery?"

Ducky replied, "Yes, and it's been quite a few hours. I imagine that we should be hearing something relatively soon." Gibbs nodded, and the two sat in silence for a few moments, until Ducky noticed that Gibbs was in an undershirt and his pants were sagging off of his hips.

"I take it that the shirt and belt in that bag belong to you?" Ducky asked, pointing to the blood stained garments in the bag on the floor.

"I needed to stop the bleeding, Duck. We parked too far for me to get to the first aid kit."

Ducky nodded and said, "One of the purest examples of love, when one willingly gives the very shirt off of his back."

After a few more minutes of silence, a nurse walked into the waiting room and said, "Family of Delaney Hanlon?" They both stood, and the nurse walked over to them. "The surgery went well. She's a tough girl. She's in recovery, but she'll be awake soon if you guys want to go back and see her."

They followed the nurse into the recovery room, and she said to them, "The doctor will be in to speak with you shortly."

Gibbs walked over to Delaney, took her hand in his, knelt next to the bed and whispered to her, "You did good, Devil Dog. You'll be better before you know it." Her good eye, that wasn't swollen shut, fluttered open a few times, and she was finally able to focus on Gibbs and Ducky.

"How are you feeling, my dear?" Ducky asked.

"Can't believe I'm still alive," she whispered.

"I can," Gibbs said, rubbing circles on to the back of her hand with his thumb, "You've always been tough."

She shook her head slightly and said quietly, "He was going to kill me. After he shot me, I started praying for death."

"I know," Gibbs replied, "But he didn't and you're still here. Oorah."

She smiled at him and whispered, "Just doing my job, Gunny." Gibbs continue to hold her hand as a doctor approached her bedside.

"Hello Dr. Mallard," he said, and then looked over at Gibbs, "Special Agent Gibbs?" he asked, and Gibbs gave a nod. "I'm Doctor Thomson. How are you feeling, Delaney?" he asked gently.

"Peachy," she replied groggily and he smiled.

"The surgery went very well, but she suffered some heavy damage. After the wound heals she will need intensive physical therapy, and will probably never get full range af motion back."

She looked at him defiantly and said, "Yes I will. I've been shot before. In a few weeks, I'll be good as new."

The doctor smiled at her and said, "This is different from the wounds you got in combat, Gunny. The other ones were flesh wounds and a little muscle and tissue damage. The bullet that we pulled out of your shoulder shattered part of your socket. It also did heavy tendon, ligament and muscle damage. You're going to develop a lot of scar tissue, which is why physical therapy is so important."

Ducky nodded his agreement and said, "Scar tissue can cripple you if you don't fight it. Based on your scans, it would be a miracle if you did get full range back. But we've seen miracles before haven't we, Jethro? I think that you'll be just fine."

Dr. Thomson checked her pupil response with a small flashlight, and satisfied that she was responsive said, "Just take it one day at a time, Gunny. I'll be back to check on you in a bit." She nodded and then looked at Gibbs and Ducky. Both of them looked exhausted, and Gibbs was looking uncomfortable without a shirt or belt.

"Guys, go home," she told them, "Shower. Sleep. Just don't forget about me in here."

Gibbs frowned and said, "Are you sure? One of us can stay with you."

She shook her head slightly and said, "No point in all three of us wasting away in here. I'll be fine."

Gibbs gave a nod and pulled her cell phone that she dropped on the seat of her car out of his pocket. He pressed it into her right hand and said, "My number is on there. I'll send McGee over with a charger for you later. If you need anything, just call ok?" She held the phone tightly and then started to shiver under the thin hospital blankets.

"I wish I still had Agent DiNozzo's coat," she said and Ducky turned to Gibbs. "Jethro, it's in the waiting room."

Gibbs nodded, walked away, and returned a few minutes later with the expensive Armani overcoat. He gently spread it over her like a blanket, kissed her forehead and said, "This should keep you warm. If it doesn't, you call DiNozzo and tell him to get his eight million dollars back." She smiled at him, and Ducky came over and kissed her head. They left and she drifted off into a drug induced sleep.

(Later that week, Bethesda) Tim and Ziva sat next to Delaney's hospital bed, chatting and joking with her.

Tony poked his head in the door and said, "Hey guys."

Tim looked up and said, "It's about time, DiNozzo. We're starving."

Tony gave Tim one of his trademark dirty looks and said, "Well it's Saturday night, McGoogle. The pizza place was packed." He set down a pizza box and paper plates, took a seat next to Ziva, and started serving.

"Here you are, Milady. I made it for you myself."

Delaney laughed and said, "Thanks Chef Tony. If I had to eat one more meal at this place they'd have to keep me for a few more weeks." She ate carefully, her lip and the inside of her cheek still stitched. Once they finished eating, Delaney pulled Tony's Armani coat back over herself like a blanket. Tony saw it and smiled, raising an eyebrow at her.

"I thought that thing was long gone. I didn't know you still had it."

She smiled back at him and said, "I'll have it cleaned and make sure you get it back. It's always so damn cold and here, and this is so warm." She opened her mouth to say something else, but closed it quickly, not sure if she should continue.

Ziva saw her and said quietly, "There is something else that you wanted to say, yes?"

Delaney smiled at her new friends and said, "Actually, yes. I was just going to say thank you, Tony."

He looked confused and asked, "For what?"

Delaney thought for a moment, looking serious and said, "For letting me use your coat."

Tony waved his hand and said, "Oh, that's no big deal."

She shook her head and said, "To me, it is. I thought I was gonna die in that God forsaken hell hole of a barn. After Bertram shot me I prayed for death, but once you guys found me, I stopped praying for death and just prayed for warmth. I'm not used to East Coast weather yet, and I was already pretty cold when I first got there. Once I started to lose a lot of blood I was freezing. I don't think I ever felt so cold in my life."

Tony nodded, remembering and said, "Yeah, you started shivering pretty bad."

Delaney continued, "I only met you that afternoon, Tony, and you wrapped your eight million dollar Armani overcoat around me without a second thought; like it was no big deal. You provided the answer to my prayer."

Tim and Ziva smiled at Tony, and Tony blushed slightly. Pushing a strand of hair out of her eyes and smiling warmly he said, "Don't mention it kid. You're not the first woman to say that I was an answer to prayers, but I won't go there. Keep the coat."

She laughed and said, "Tony, are you sure? This thing must have cost you a fortune."

Tony waved his hand again and said, "I'm sure. I wanted to get a new one anyway." She smiled at all of them and started to try to untangle her hair with her fingers.

Ziva saw her and said, "Would you like me to do your hair?"

She gave Ziva a grateful look and said, "Yes, Ziva, could you? I mean, do you mind?"

Ziva smiled and replied, "Not at all." Delaney shifted in bed so that her back was against the side rail, and Ziva started brushing her hair gently.

Once all the tangles were gone she asked, "How would you like your hair done?"

Delaney thought for a moment and said, "Can you braid it? Or, even better," she said as her face lit up, "Could you give me braided pigtails?"

Ziva set to work on braiding her hair and Tim said, "If you like pigtails, I think you're going to love Abby."

"Whose going to love me?" Abby asked as she poked her head into the room. She smiled and stepped in, holding a vase of black roses. She set the roses down next to the other flowers that were filling the room and Ziva stopped braiding so Abby could introduce herself.

"I'm Abby. You must be Delaney! It's soooo nice to meet you! I would hug you, but I don't want to hurt you. Wow, that's a lot of flowers! Do you like your roses? They make them special just for me! Except these, these are for you. Well, they made them for me, but now I'm giving them to you. Not that you can make roses... You can just color them. Well, I don't color them, the flower place does, but I bet that I could grow roses that are crazy colors! And don't worry, they're fresh. And healthy. I know they don't look healthy, but that's part of what makes them awesome."

Delaney was grinning at Abby, who was talking a mile a minute as usual.

"It's nice to meet you, Abby. The roses are awesome, thank you." Delaney said and Abby smiled brightly until she saw Delaney's hair that Ziva started to braid.

She frowned at Ziva and said, "What are you doing to this poor girl's hair?"

"I am giving her braided pigtails, Abby." Ziva replied.

Abby shook her head and said, "Why don't you let me handle this?" Ziva stepped aside, and Abby's fingers began to fly, braiding her hair expertly. Once she was finished Tony reached over and flipped one of the braids.

"If your hair was any redder, I'd have to start calling you Pippi," he told her.

Tim rolled his eyes and said, "Don't listen to him. You look adorable, Gunny."

Abby continued to stand at her bedside and the others found seats.

"So Delaney," Abby began, slowly, "I have to ask. How do you know the Bossman?" Abby, Tony and Ziva all looked at her with wide, curious eyes, waiting for her response.

"She laughed and said, "How do I know Gibbs?"

"Yes," Ziva responded, "We have all been a bit... curious."

Delaney laughed and said, "What do you think, Timmy, should I tell them?" They all looked at Tim who was trying hard not to smile boastfully at them.

"Wait a second," Tony said, holding up his hands and looking at Tim, "How does McGeek know the story and we don't?"

Abby smiled and said, "He's only been here to visit her _everyday_ this week Tony! I tried to get him to talk, I even threatened to kill him without leaving a shred of forensic evidence, but he wouldn't talk." Tony rose from his chair and stood over Tim.

"We're supposed to be partners, McGee. You're supposed to tell me stuff, especially stuff like this!" he whispered furiously. Delaney sat back, grinning and watching them interact. They were truly a big, weird, wonderful family.

Tim just smiled sweetly and said, "Not my story to tell, DiNozzo."

"Relax DiNotzo," Delaney said, pronouncing his name with a thick Italian accent, which made Tony smile, "I'll tell you the story. Have a seat, guys."

As she was telling them the story, Gibbs slipped into the room, unnoticed by everyone except for Delaney, who did not say anything to the others.

Once she finished the story, Abby had her hand over her heart and seemed genuinely moved by it. She said, "That's why he was so upset when you got kidnapped! He _loves_ you!"

Tony said, "Yeah, that also explains why you have that weird Gaelic name for Ducky... And why you and Gibbs talked about personal stuff in the conference room for almost as long as you talked about Citrix and Bertram. If I ever got that off topic with Gibbs he'd headslap me into next week."

"That's because I like her better than you, DiNozzo." Gibbs said.

They all jumped at hearing Gibbs voice and Tony said, "Oh, hey Boss. Didn't hear you come in. Thanks for the warning, Laney." he said, smiling at her. They all made room for Gibbs to stand by her bed.

He kissed her forehead and asked, "How are you feeling, kid?"

She shrugged her good shoulder and sighed, "How do I look?" she asked. Gibbs replied, "Well, the pigtails are cute... The rest of you looks like hell." She smiled at him and said, "Today was better than yesterday, although I am starting to get sore again."

Gibbs sat down and said to her, "I spoke to your new CO, Captain Davison. You're being awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal for bravery, and the Homeland Security Distinguished Service Medal."

She smiled, but seemed unphased by the news. "I don't know why," she said quietly, "I was just doing my job."

Tony walked over to her and said, "I guess after getting a Silver Star, all the rest of the medals seem kind of pointless, huh?" Gibbs glared at Tony, and Tim, Ziva, and Abby all looked at her, surprised.

"You have a Silver Star?" Tim asked and she nodded.

"Yeah, but that's a story for another day. But, Tony, I would love to hear the story about how you knew that I have it."

Tony's face flushed and he said, "Well, I may have, um... peeked in your file. You know... Just to see if there was... Anyway that we could assist you..."

Gibbs interrupted him with, "Can it, DiNozzo."

"Canning it, Boss." he replied and sat back down.

"It's ok," Delaney said, "I bet you're a hell of an investigator, Tony."

She picked up her juice and started to drink when Tony whispered to her excitedly, "I _am _a hell of an investigator!" She laughed at his comment, began choking on the juice and started coughing. Pain ripped through her ribs and shoulder. Tears started streaming down her face, and Tony looked horrified at what he had accidentally caused.

"McGee, get a nurse in here," Gibbs ordered as he rubbed her back slowly. She was leaning forward, holding her ribs, and in so much pain that she started hyperventilating. Gibbs continued to rub her back slowly and whisper to her, "It's ok, pretty girl. Shhh. I'm here. Everything's gonna be alright."

Her breathing began to slow, and then the nurse came in, followed by Tim. Seeing the calming effect that Gibbs was having on her, she did not stop him from rubbing her back and murmuring softly to her. She injected a strong painkiller into her IV line and said, "This will help, sweetie. I know with broken ribs, coughing makes you feel like you're being torn to pieces." Within minutes her pain began to dull and Gibbs helped her lean back into the pillows.

Tony, who felt terrible about making her laugh and choke, said, "Delaney, I'm _really_ sorry."

She was starting to feel loopy from the meds, waved her right hand and said, "Rule number six, Tony. _The Duke's_ rule. Besides, I needed a good laugh."

"Not like that you didn't," Gibbs said, shooting a look at Tony.

"Gunny," Delaney said, the meds now hitting her full force, "Why do they want to give me medals anyway? I was just doing my job. Like I always do. I don't need medals. Freedom ain't free. That's it. A dirty job, but someone's got to do it." She looked at Gibbs with big eyes and tears started rolling down her cheeks.

Embarrassed, she brushed them away and said, "Look at me, jeez. Marine's aren't supposed to cry. Then again, Marine's aren't supposed to get kidnapped, but you see how well that worked out for me." She was tired, groggy and over emotional from pain, pain medicine, and lack of sleep. She couldn't stop the tears from coming, so she let them silently flow while she closed her eyes and leaned back on the pillows.

Gibbs turned to his team and said, "Go home. Let her get some rest. You can come back tomorrow."

The group nodded and they all turned to leave, except for Tim, who stepped toward the bed. Gibbs raised an eyebrow, but did not say anything as Tim leaned over and kissed her forehead.

"Hey," he whispered, still leaning close to her and twirling one of her braids through his fingers. She opened her eye, and he smiled at her.

"You deserve those medals. Don't ever think that you don't." Another tear rolled down her cheek and Tim gently brushed it away with his hand.

"Please don't cry. You're too pretty to be crying." Delaney laughed, knowing that her face was still a mess with fading bruises and stitches, and then smiled lovingly at him.

Tim smiled back and said, "That's better." She reached up and touched his face, brushing her thumb lightly across his cheek.

"Thanks, Timmy."

He kissed her forehead and said, "No, thank you. See you tomorrow." Tim turned to leave and bumped into Gibbs.

"Oh, sorry Boss... I'll... um... see you tomorrow?" Tim stammered nervously under Gibbs' glare, and waited for a response, bracing himself for a headslap.

To his relief Gibbs just said, sounding tired, "Yeah, McGee. See you tomorrow." Tim walked out of the room and into the hallway, where Tony, Ziva and Abby were waiting for him. They all smiled when they saw him, and Tim felt his ears start and face start burn.

"What?" he asked them defensively.

Tony flashed a million dollar grin and exclaimed, "McRomeo!" Tim blushed furiously.

Abby took his arm as they walked away, "You are too sweet, Timmy."

**TBC...**


	10. Comfy, McGee?

**Sorry for the delay updating. This chapter is a little fluffy! Also included in this chapter is Ducky's golf caddy story from the last episode of season 7. Enjoy! I do not own NCIS...**

**Chapter 10: Comfy, McGee? **

After the team left, Gibbs sat down on the edge of Delaney's bed and took her hand.

"You're gonna be getting out of here in few days," he told her.

She looked up at him groggily and said, "Ah, shit Gunny, I can't..."

Gibbs shook his head and interrupted her with, "Hey, I'm not going to send you back to Fairfax to try to take care of yourself. You can stay with me for as long as you need to." The look that he gave her meant that the subject was not up for discussion.

She nodded at him and said quietly, "Gibbs, I don't know what I would do if I didn't have you. That's twice now that I'd be dead if you hadn't saved me."

Gibbs smiled at her and said, "You've just got someone upstairs looking after you, that's all."

She smiled back at him with a gleam in her eye and said, "You know, Gunny, sometimes the Lord works in mysterious ways, using strange methods and odd instruments."

Gibbs smirked and raised an eyebrow, "You mean me?"

She nodded and he replied with a chuckle, "Yeah, that would be odd."

Gibbs stayed with her until she fell asleep, and then got ready to leave. He put his jacket on and as he stepped into the hallway, one of the nurses approached him and said, "Agent Gibbs?" He did not recognize her as one of the regular nurses on that floor and eyed her suspiciously.

"Yes?"

She began to speak to him quietly, "Agent Gibbs, you wanted us to keep you informed about Dennis McNamara's condition. He's been moved out of the ICU and into a private room. He remains under 24 hour guard, and should be released in a few days."

Gibbs nodded and replied, "Alright, when can I speak with him?"

She sighed and told him, "Well, the doctor said he doesn't want any kind of interrogations happening in the hospital. He'll most likely be discharged on Monday, and we are releasing him into the custody of NCIS. I just wanted to give you an update."

Gibbs nodded and said, "Ok, thanks."

When Delaney awoke in her hospital bed later that night, the room was dark and quiet, and she was sweating and breathing heavily. She didn't tell anyone about the nightmares that were plaguing her; she figured they would pass with time. With her good arm, she grabbed her phone and flipped it open to check the time. 0330. She had a text message from Ducky stating that he would be by to visit her in the morning. She leaned back on her pillows, and suddenly felt very lonely. She wanted to call someone to talk, but even though it was the weekend, she felt it was too late to call even her west coast friends. She propped up her pillows and turned on the TV, not wanting to deal with any more nightmares. After about 10 minutes, she felt her phone vibrate on her lap, and she looked at it, confused.

"Who could possibly be texting me at this hour?" she wondered. She opened the message and smiled.

It was from Tim, and it said: "hope u dont mind the txt & hope it doesnt wake u. just wanted 2 tell u that im thinking of u." Delaney smiled and dialed his number.

He answered after one ring and she said, "Hey, Tim. I got your text."

Tim sounded startled, "Laney, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to wake you, gosh that was stupid! I shouldn't have texted you so late..."

She interrupted his panicked ramblings with, "Tim! Calm down, sweetie, I was already awake." Tim sighed into the phone, relieved that he didn't wake her.

"Oh. Are you ok? How come you're not sleeping?" he asked.

"I had a nightmare," she told him, surprising herself that she admitted it so easily.

"So how come you're not sleeping?" she asked him and he replied quietly, "I was up thinking about you."

She smiled and said, "I'm really glad you texted me, Tim."

He sounded surprised and said, "You are? Well, I'm really glad that I did, too."

A nurse walked into the room to check her vitals, and she said, "Tim hold on just a sec, the nurse just came in." Tim waited patiently, and heard Delaney and the nurse talking, but he couldn't make out what they were saying.

After a minute she got back on the phone and said, "Sorry about that. Hey, did you feel like coming to visit?" He was a bit confused by her question. He had been to the hospital to visit her every day since she went in.

"Yeah, I would love to," he said, "but visiting hours don't start until 0900."

She replied, "I just talked with my nurse. She said it was fine if you wanted to come visit now." Tim jumped up from his bed, and while cradling the phone between his ear and shoulder, threw on a pair of sweat pants and a jacket.

"Ok great. Did you want me to bring you anything? You sure? Ok, see you in a few." Tim hung up the phone and quickly checked himself in the mirror before grabbing his keys and rushing out the door.

Once Tim got to Bethesda, he quietly opened the door to Delaney's room and stepped inside.

She smiled when she saw him and said, "Thanks for coming, Tim" He walked over and stood beside her bed, and kissed her forehead gently. He examined he face and noticed how tired she looked.

"Are you ok?" he asked, "You look awfully tired." She smiled wearily at him and used her right hand to pat the bed.

"Sit with me. Get comfortable," she told him. He slung his jacket over the back of a chair and kicked off his shoes.

Once he was comfortable in bed next to her, she said, "Tim, I'm sorry I got so upset when you guys were here earlier."

Tim shook his head and said firmly, "No. Don't apologize for that. With everything that you're going through, it's understandable. It just worries me that you look like you haven't slept that much." He nervously reached for her hand and was relieved when she laced her fingers through his.

"I really haven't been sleeping," she admitted. "I take little naps during the day, but the nightmares have prevented a decent nights sleep."

Tim let go of her hand and put his arm around her gently. He kissed her on the cheek and said quietly, "It's gonna be ok."

She rested her head on his shoulder and whispered, "Thanks, Timmy."

"You're welcome, Gunny." he replied as she snuggled up against him and fell asleep.

Later that morning, Gibbs and Abby walked into the hospital lobby to visit Delaney.

They saw Ducky waiting for the elevator and Abby called out to him, "Hey, Duckman!"

They all got on the elevator together, and when they got to Delaney's floor, Gibbs quietly opened the door. They all stopped and stared at her bed. Delaney was laying on her right side, her left arm still tucked into a sling and resting on her side. Her head was resting on Tim's chest. His one arm was carefully tucked around her, holding her close and his hand resting on her hip. His other arm was laying across his torso.

"Oh my God, that's the cutest thing I've ever seen!" Abby whispered and started taking pictures with her cellphone.

The nurse came in, smiled and said to them, "Adorable, right?"

Gibbs turned to her and said quietly, "Is he supposed to be here?" The nurse gave him a confused look and he rolled his eyes.

"Should I be getting mad?" he asked, sounding annoyed.

She waved her hand and said quietly, "Oh, no. It's ok. The night duty nurse Barb told me that she let him come."

Gibbs continued to drill her, "Exactly what time did he get here?" he asked.

"I think about 4," the nurse replied. Gibbs tried to continue his interrogation, but the nurse cut him off.

"Agent Gibbs, it's ok. Really. Tim is very sweet, and to be quiet honest with you, this has been the longest that's she's slept all week. I'd prefer it if you didn't wake either of them."

Gibbs features relaxed a bit and he sighed, "Yeah... Yeah, ok." he said finally. They all sat, and Abby sent copies of the pictures to Tony and Ziva. She knew that Tim wouldn't be thrilled about it, but she thought it was too cute not to share.

Gibbs started thumbing through a car magazine, and after a few minutes of silence Ducky said quietly, "How tiny she looks in his arms. If not for the severe injuries, I would say that right now she doesn't look much different from the last time we were here with her." Gibbs looked up at her and Tim sleeping. Tim sighed and lifted his hand to scratch his head. Without opening his eyes, he gently snuggled closed to her and kissed the top of her head, smiling slightly. Abby and Ducky beamed at the sweetness of the scene in front of them, and even Gibbs couldn't stop the smile that was tugging at the corners of his mouth.

After a minute, Tim opened his eyes and began to focus. He saw the three of them sitting in the room and sleepily, without thinking he said, "Hey Ducky, Abbs, Boss... BOSS?!" His eyes opened wide, and now he was fully awake and fearing the wrath of Gibbs. Even in his slight panic, Tim was careful not to make any sudden moves that would hurt or disturb her.

Abby stood up and said, "Relax, Tim. We talked to the nurse. We know it's ok that you're here. Right, Gibbs?"

Gibbs just raised an eyebrow at Tim and said, "Comfy, McGee?"

Tim blushed and said, "Uh, I was... um... just getting up."

Gibbs continued his steely blue death stare at McGee and just said, "Uh huh." Tim looked down and tried to figure out how to move without disturbing her, but before he could get a plan together, she opened her eyes and smiled at him. "Good morning, Tim," she said, and carefully rolled off of him to settle back on to her pillows. "Morning, guys." she said sleepily.

Tim excused himself to the bathroom and Ducky asked, "How are you feeling today, my dear?"

She yawned and replied, "I feel... ok. I can see better today."

Ducky nodded and said, "Yes, I can see that the swelling and bruising has gone down significantly." He placed both of his hands gently on her cheeks and moved her head around to examine her face.

"And how about the rest of you?" he asked, and she replied, "I'm still sore sore, but I feel more relaxed. Not so anxious and upset as I have been."

Ducky smiled, "Few people realize the amazing benefits of a good night's sleep. I spoke with your doctor. They will be discharging you tomorrow. I understand that you'll be staying with Jethro?" he asked and Delaney nodded.

She looked at Gibbs and said, "Papa, if I'm going to stay with you, I have to get some stuff from my place."

Abby stepped forward and said, "Aw, Gibbs she called you Papa, that is soooo sweet..."

"Abby," Gibbs and Delaney said at the same time; Abby smiled at them both and quickly changed course.

"If you want, I'll have Gibbs take me over there today, and I'll grab your clothes and other essentials."

She gave Abby a grateful look and said, "That would be awesome, Abbs, thanks." She leaned back on her pillows and sighed, relieved and grateful for such amazing support. She tried to adjust her arm and winced in pain. Tim had come back into the room, and saw the pain she was in.

He took her hand and asked, "You ok? Do you want me to call the nurse in for you?"

She shook her head and said, "No. I'm tired of pain medicine." She moved to try to get comfortable, but sucked in a deep breath as pain shot through her.

"Don't care if you're tired of it, kid," Gibbs said to her, "You need it." Once the nurse administered her pain medicine, she became groggy and fell asleep again quickly. Tim gently took her hand out of his and kissed her cheek. Gibbs, Abby and Tim left, while Ducky stayed behind to speak with her doctor again.

Ducky sat next to the bed, reading the paper. After a few minutes he looked up to see her shift positions. She opened her eyes and looked at Ducky with a confused look on her face. "Are you alright, love?" Ducky asked, and she finally shook her head and smiled.

"My mind was a total blank there for a second," she said.

Ducky's face lit up and he said, "That reminds me of a caddy, on a golf course, just north of Glasgow. He kept giving me unasked for tips. Every time I hit the ball he would said, 'No no no.' He drove me crazy. Finally, on the eighteenth, I'm sitting two hundred and eighteen from the pin. He hands me a five iron, 'Lay up' he says, 'And you'll be on it in 2.' I stared at the man, and then, for a moment, my mind went completely blank. Then I held out my hand. 'Three wood' I said calmly, 'I'm going for it.' 'You?' he says, 'Ha ha, impossible.' So, I take my stance, a day's frustration behind me, and I uncork the shot of a lifetime! As the ball flew away I screamed out a dreadful obscenity at the man." Delaney listened, smiling as he told his story. "So, did you make the green?" she asked, amused. "No, I overshot it by 15 yards, took a triple bogey. But I learned a lesson that day, Miss Delaney, that being correct does not excuse a violation of form."

Delaney took his hand in hers and smiling, said, "I love you, Tonog, and I missed you. Your stories are the best!"

**TBC...**


	11. Better to Seek Forgiveness

**I'm really sorry for the delay updating, life's been a bit hectic! I could use a Beta Reader, for this story as well as future ones. If you are interested please send me a PM. I do not own NCIS...**

**Chapter 11: It's Better to Seek Forgiveness Than Ask Permission  
**

Gibbs sat in the bullpen on Monday morning, hoping that his team would not catch a case. He was picking up Delaney and taking her to his house as soon as they were done for the day. Tony, Ziva, and Tim were all at their desks getting caught up on paperwork. Gibbs' phone rang, and they all looked up anxiously as he sighed and answered it.

"Yeah, Gibbs. Uh huh. My agents will be over." The team looked up at him as he closed his phone.

"New case, Boss?" Tim asked as they stood and began to collect their things.

"Nope," Gibbs said, "That was Bethesda. Dennis McNamara is ready to be released into our custody. DiNozzo, McGee, go pick him up and take him to interrogation."

"On it, Boss," Tony replied as they walked to the elevator.

"McGee!" Gibbs called as they waited for the elevator.

"Yeah, Boss?" Tim replied.

Gibbs thought for a moment and then said, "If you're going to make any side trips at the hospital, you make it quick, and do it before you pick up McNamara." Tim nodded and smiled with Gibbs' permission to visit with Delaney.

"Got it, Boss."

Tony and Tim walked through the parking lot at Bethesda, and Tony scrolled through his phone as they walked.

"So, you looking forward to visiting with your girlfriend, Probie?" Tony asked, still not taking his eyes off of his phone.

Tim rolled his eyes and replied, "She's not my girlfriend, Tony." Tony stopped walking and looked at Tim.

"Really? Well, a picture is worth a thousand words, McGee," Tony said, looking down at his phone again, "And this picture certainly tells me otherwise."

Tim raised an eyebrow at him and asked, "What picture?" Tony smiled brightly and held his phone up for Tim to see the picture of him and Delaney sleeping that Abby had taken the day before.

"Where did you get that?" Tim asked, blushing.

Tony turned to keep walking and simply said, "Abby."

Tim again rolled his eyes and mumbled, "Why does that not surprise me?"

Once they got into the lobby of the hospital, Tony turned away from the elevators and called over his shoulder to Tim, "I'm hitting up the cafeteria for coffee. You go see the Gunny, and I'll come get you when I'm done. Don't do anything that I would do." Tim shook his head and stepped onto the elevator. He said hello to the nurses as he passed them, and then knocked on Delaney's door before opening it. He peeked into the room and saw Delaney sitting on the edge of the bed. "Hi there," Tim said as he entered the room. Delaney smiled and began walking over to him.

"Hey, no more IV! And you got your stitches out!" Tim exclaimed as he pulled her into a gentle hug.

"Hi Tim. Yeah, they're releasing me tonight, so everything had to go." She looked up at him after they hugged, smiled and asked, "What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be working?"

He smiled back and said, "I am working. Me and Tony are here to pick up Dennis McNamara. I just wanted to stop and see you first." She smiled up at him again, but before she could reply, he leaned over and gently kissed her lips, once, twice, three times before pulling away and blushing.

"Sorry," he said sheepishly, "But I've been waiting all week to do that. I just didn't want to bother your stitches."

"It's ok, Tim. I've been looking forward to that too." She told him as they sat down on the edge of the bed.

Tim smiled at her and said, "Good. I can't stay long, Tony will be up any minute. I just wanted to say hello and see how you're doing."

"I'm ok," she said as she took his hand into hers, "Much better now." Tim leaned over and kissed her again, this time more passionately. He gently stroked her cheek with his fingertips and soon both of his hands were tangled in her hair. They kissed until they were interrupted by Tony clearing his throat loudly. They pulled away from each other and saw Tony standing in the doorway grinning with his arms folded across his chest.

"Sorry to crash the party, McLoverboy, but we're still on the clock."

Tim started blushing furiously as they stood and tried to compose himself.

Delaney smiled and said, "Hi, Tony."

He smiled and replied teasingly "How goes it, Gunny? Wait a minute... Don't answer that. I don't want to know."

Tim shot him a look and said "Very funny, DiNozzo." He turned back to Delaney and said, "Call me when you get to Gibbs' house. If you're feeling up to it, I'll come visit." She quickly kissed him again and said, "Ok, talk to you later. Bye, Tony!"

As soon as Tony and Tim stepped on to the elevator, Tim prepared himself for the barrage of teasing that he was sure Tony would throw at him. Instead of teasing, Tony simply turned toward him, grinned, threw and arm over his shoulder and said, "Nice work, Probie."

As they approached Dennis McNamara's room they saw two local LEO's standing outside of the room. They flashed their badges, looked into the room, and were surprised to see another man sitting in the room with McNamara. They were whispering to each other, and generally looking shady.

"Who is that?" Tony asked.

"Oh, that's Robert McNamara, Dennis' brother," one of the officers responded. "Don't worry. We searched him before he went in." Tony gave him a disapproving look, and he and Tim stepped into the room.

As soon as Dennis saw Tim he shouted, "You're the guy that shot me, you son of a bitch!" Tim looked unphased.

"Well, that's what happens when you pull a gun on a federal agent." He replied nonchalantly.

Dennis continued glaring at the agents and said, "None of the doctors will tell me anything. What happened to Marc Hillias?"

"Dead," Tony replied, and Dennis looked like he was going to cry.

"And Captain Bertram?" He asked, looking pleadingly at the agents.

"Leavenworth." Tim said.

Dennis stood up and walked over to Tim. His face was red with anger and his hand was clenched into a tight fist.

"You didn't have to kill Marc," Dennis said, his voice shaking.

"Well, when you hang around terrorists that sort of thing tends to happen." Tim replied smugly.

McNamara took a step towards Tim and said, "So, how's that hot little Marine doing, hmm? She dead?" Now it was Tim's hand that clenched into a fist, but as he spoke, he sounded cool and collected.

"Actually, she's fine. Which is more than we'll be able to say about you after a few days in Leavenworth. That is _if _you last a few days." McNamara smirked and did not back down from Tim.

"You know, it's a good thing that you found her when you did," McNamara said with a sick gleam in his eyes, "Mmm, she was a hot little thing. When you walked in, I was just getting ready to strip her down and fu..." Before he could finish his sentence, Tim reeled his fist back, and threw it as hard as he could. He connected with McNamara's face, and McNamara fell to the floor. Robert jumped up from his chair and charged towards Tim, only to be stopped dead in his tracks by Tony's gun in his face. The LEO's guarding the door also had their guns drawn and pointed at the McNamara brothers.

From the floor, Dennis held up his hand and said, "It's ok, Bobby." He laughed as he picked himself up off of the floor and said, "That was the fist of a jealous man! So you got a thing for the hot little Marine, huh? Good. Make's what I did to her that much sweeter." Tim momentarily lost control of his tempter, and pulled his gun from it's holster, fully intending to shoot McNamara. Before he could pull the trigger, he felt Tony's hand hit his chest.

"Calm down, McGee," Tony ordered, asserting his role as the Senior Field Agent, "He'll get what he deserves in Leavenworth." Tim put his gun back in its holster, and moved around Dennis to cuff him.

As they walked him out of the hospital room, Dennis called out to his brother, "Don't forget what we discussed, Bobby!" Tony and Tim exchanged worried glances, and Tony's gut twisted into a knot. He did not like it that the brothers appeared to be scheming, but there was nothing that they could hold Robert for.

Once they got out to the Charger they put Dennis in the back, and then Tony turned to Tim and said, "You ok, McGee? You almost lost it in there."

Tim looked at the ground angrily and I said, "I know Tony, and I'm sorry. It won't happen again."

Tony frowned at him and said, "Don't make me start quoting Gibbs' rules, McGee. You didn't shoot him. That was a hell of a punch though." He smiled at Tim and continued, "I knew you wanted to hit him, but I didn't think you'd actually do it."

Tim rolled his eyes and said, "Well, what did you expect, DiNozzo? For me to ask your permission before I punched him?"

"That would have been nice," Tony replied jokingly.

"Well, Tony, you've obviously forgotten Rule #18," Tim said.

Tony replied, "Rule 18..." trying to match the rule with the number.

"It's better to seek forgiveness than ask permission." Tim said as he opened the door to the Charger. Tony glared at him for a moment before flashing one of his million dollar grins and slapping him on the shoulder.

"Well played, Probie."

Back at headquarters, Gibbs watched as Tony and Tim walked McNamara into the interrogation room.

"What the hell happened to him?" Gibbs asked when he saw the fresh black eye that McNamara was now sporting. He glared at Tony, who held up his hands defensively.

"Don't look at me, Boss. Talk to McFists of Fury over there." Gibbs looked surprised, and walked over to Tim's desk.

"You want to tell me why he has a black eye?"

Without hesitating Tim replied, "Because he deserved it, Boss."

Gibbs shook his head, "No... No, you're gonna have to do better than that, McGee." Tim briefly looked at the floor, and the reestablished eye contact with Gibbs.

"Boss, he started saying things... About Gunnery Sgt. Hanlon. Inappropriate things."

"So you punched him?" Gibbs asked. Tim nodded firmly.

"Yes, I did." Gibbs nodded, satisfied with his answer.

"Nice work, McGee," he said. Then he pointed at Tim's swollen hand, "Go down and have Ducky look at that. Ziver, you're with me in interrogation. DiNozzo, observation. Let's go."

Tony walked over to Gibbs and said, "Boss, before you guys interrogate him, I wanted to tell you what happened at the hospital. Dennis' brother Robert was there in the room with him when we got there. I didn't like the vibe I got when I saw the two of them together. My gut's been churning since then."

Gibbs thought for a minute and then replied, "Ok, once we get done questioning Dennis, you find me everything you can on Robert."

Tony nodded, "You got it, Boss."

**TBC...**


	12. Feeling Vulnerable

**I'm back! Sorry for the delay. There will be more regular updates now. I do not own NCIS...**

**Chapter 12: Feeling Vulnerable  
**

Tim walked into autopsy and found Ducky sitting at his desk doing paperwork.

"Hey Ducky," he said and Ducky turned in his chair and smiled.

"Well, hello Timothy! How are you dear boy?" he asked.

"I'm ok," Tim replied, "Where's Jimmy?" he asked, noticing that he did not see the assistant ME.

Ducky stood to face him and replied, "I gave Mr. Palmer the day off. He is enjoying a long weekend with Breena. So, to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?" he asked.

Tim held up his swollen hand and Ducky frowned.

"Dear me, Timothy, what on earth did you do?" he asked as he started examining Tim's hand.

"Well, Tony and I went to Bethesda to pick up Dennis McNamara..." Tim began, and Ducky cut him off with, "You injured yourself at a hospital?" Tim smiled sheepishly and continued, "We got to McNamara's room and he was angry. He started saying some pretty horrible things about Delaney, and I guess I lost my temper."

Ducky smiled in surprise at his usually docile young friend and said, "I believe it was Oscar Wilde who said that, 'Man is a rational animal who always loses his temper when he is called upon to act in accordance with the dictates of reason.' However, regardless of the reason, you have still sustained injury. I don't think it's broken, but we'll do an x-ray to be sure." Tim waited patiently while Ducky took the x-ray's and then put the films on the light board to examine them.

"It does not appear broken, but I want you to go easy on it for a few days, that will help the swelling to go down." Ducky said as he pulled out an ACE bandage out of a drawer. As he wrapped Tim's hand he asked, "Did you get a chance to see Miss Delaney while you were at the hospital?"

"Yeah, I saw her... for a minute." Tim replied.

"And?" Ducky asked, smiling. He did not miss the gleam that was in the young man's eye since he walked through the door.

"And, well... I kissed her." Tim said shyly. Ducky grinned at him.

"Judging by your red ears, I assume that it is safe to say that she reciprocated your affection?" Tim just smiled.

Ducky finished wrapping his hand and said, "I'm happy for you, Timothy. I have known Miss Delaney for a long time, and she is like a daughter to me. I know that you will treat her well."

Before Gibbs and Ziva went into interrogation, Tony filled them in on what happened at the hospital. "I don't know, Boss, but I think that Dennis and his brother are planning something, and I don't like it." Tony said bluntly. "We'll figure it out, one way or another." Gibbs replied before he and Ziva walked into the interrogation room.

Ziva stood in the corner of the interrogation room, glaring at Dennis, while Gibbs took a seat across the table from him.

"So," Gibbs began as he open the file that he brought in with him, "Do you want to tell me just what in the hell you think you were doing?" Gibbs sat calmly and waited for his reply. Dennis' leg was shaking nervously as he began to talk.

"Marc Hillias has been my best friend since grade school. I hadn't talked to him in a long time. Then he called me out of the blue, and asked if I wanted to make some easy money."

Ziva stepped forward and said, "I take it you said yes?"

Dennis looked up at her and said, "Hell yeah, who doesn't want to make easy money? Anyway, he introduced me to Captain Bertram, who told me that this was a covert military operation, and he needed outside guys. All we had to do was kidnap this chick..."

Gibbs interrupted him and said warningly, "Her name is Gunnery Sgt. Hanlon."

Dennis stammered nervously, "R-Right. All we had to do was kidnap Gunnery Sgt. Hanlon and rough her up a little bit until she told Captain Bertram the code for the safe. He offered us $50,000 a piece. I couldn't turn it down." Gibbs shuffled through the folder in front of him and pulled out pictures that were taken of Delaney right after they rescued her, all of her wounds open and bleeding, and her face bruised to the point of being unrecognizable.

"Let me ask you a question," Gibbs said as he laid the pictures of Delaney in front of Dennis, "Does it look like all you goons did was 'rough her up a bit?' She was nearly dead when we found her." Dennis bit his lip nervously as he looked at the photos, then his face broke into a sickening grin.

"She looks pretty bad, but I'd still do her." Gibbs saw red, and before Ziva could stop him, Gibbs had him by the collar and pinned against the wall.

"Is there anything else that you want to tell me before I lock you away like the animal that you are?" Gibbs growled furiously. Ziva stood behind Gibbs and smiled at the now very frightened looking Dennis. Gibbs gave him another good slam against the wall and said, "You recruit your brother to get revenge? What was it you told him at the hospital? 'Don't forget what we discussed?' Just what was it that you two discussed?"

Gibbs' icy blues bored into Dennis, but he only said, "I just wanted to make sure he got me a good lawyer."

Gibbs loosened his grip and said, "Yeah, that's good. You're gonna need it." He threw Dennis down to the floor and stormed out of the room with Ziva on his heels.

The team regrouped in the bullpen, and Gibbs said, "I want everything that you can find on Robert McNamara. Find a cellphone number, track him, and make sure he isn't anywhere that he's not supposed to be. Then go home."

Gibbs started to walk away, but Tony stopped him and said, "Boss, how are we supposed to track him from home?"

Gibbs glared at him until Tim spoke up and said, "Boss, I can track him on my PDA all night. If he goes anywhere, I can set an alarm to let me know."

Gibbs nodded and said, "I have to pick up Delaney from the hospital." He turned and walked to the elevator. To his surprise, Tim followed him on to the elevator.

After the doors closed and the elevator started moving, Gibbs hit the stop switch and said, "Talk, McGee."

"Boss, I was just wondering if it was ok for me to stop by later to see Gunnery Sgt. Hanlon." Tim asked quietly.

"That's fine, Tim," Gibbs replied and then turned to face him, "But I need you to understand something. She's a good girl. And if you hurt her, I will BREAK you. We clear?" Gibbs asked quietly.

Tim's eyes widened at the very real threat and he replied, "Crystal, Boss. Wouldn't have it any other way."

Gibbs pulled his truck out in front of the hospital. He already went over her discharge papers and brought her clothes to change into. He parked and walked into the lobby where Delaney was waiting for him. He slowly walked her out to his truck, and she stopped to breathe in the fresh spring air and let the sunshine bathe her face.

"It's nice to be outside again." She said as Gibbs helped her into the pickup. "Gunny, can we stop at my place before we go to your house? I have some stuff I want to grab." She asked as he started the truck.

"Sure, but Abby and I already stopped to get your clothes." Gibbs replied.

"I know," she said, "I just wanted to grab some movies and pictures... and my gun."

She glanced up at Gibbs, who said, "I have your Beretta at my place."

She nodded and said, "Yeah, but I also wanted to have my personal weapon. You can never have too many guns..."

Gibbs raised an eyebrow at her and asked, "Is there something that you're afraid of?" He left the truck in park and waited for her answer.

"No..." She said slowly. "Nothing in particular. It's just that... I don't know, ever since Bertram got to me I've felt... Vulnerable, I guess." She lowered her eyes and felt very small and weak. Being a Marine, it was not a feeling that she was comfortable with, and Gibbs picked up on that immediately.

"Hey," he said, putting a finger under her chin and lifting her head until her eyes met his, "Nobody is going to hurt you. I'll move the entire NCIS armory into my living room if it will make you feel better." She smiled at that, and he was reminded of the way Abby smiled at him when he told her he would move her entire lab into the elevator if it made her feel safe. Anything for his girls...

**TBC... Chapter 13 will be posted tonight. **


	13. Flipping Out

**I do not own NCIS...**

**Chapter 13: Flipping Out**

Robert McNamara was sitting in his car with tinted windows, a few houses down from Delaney's home in Fairfax. He was kicking himself for not bringing his cell phone with him. If he knew that the team now had a trace on his cellphone, he would have been relieved. They thought that he was at home. He watched closely as a pickup truck pulled up in front of her house. He was disappointed when he saw Gibbs getting out of the truck and going inside with her, and even more disappointed when they came out with a bag and both got back into the truck and left. Traffic was heavy and Gibbs did not notice the man following them a few cars behind. He did notice, however, his gut churning. Robert turned down a side street and drove off once he saw them pull into Gibbs' driveway, satisfied that he knew where she would be. All he had to do now was wait until Gibbs left and she was alone...

Gibbs turned the truck off and furrowed his brow, his gut still churning.

"Something wrong, Gunny?" Delaney asked, her gut starting to twist as well.

"Wait here. Lock the doors." Gibbs said as he got out and drew his weapon. He went through the house, gun drawn, and checked every room. While he was checking, he called Tim and asked for a location on Robert McNamara's cell.

"Signal says he's at home in Falls Church," McGee reported. Then he checked the backyard. Satisfied that there was no one there, he holstered his weapon and went back to the truck to help Delaney down.

"What was that all about?" She asked, and Gibbs replied, "Don't know. Just had a feeling... Gut was telling me that something wasn't right." She stopped and frowned at him.

He saw the worried, tired look on her face and said, "Rule 51, kid." She stood and looked at him for what seemed like a long time, and her brain was moving a mile a minute.

She was thinking, "Rule 51: Sometimes you're wrong. This is the new rule. Everybody is wrong sometimes, but is Gibbs' gut ever wrong? I doubt it..."

"Hey," Gibbs said, interrupting her thoughts, "You ok?" She nodded yes, but the tears that ran down her cheeks told him otherwise. She was tired, and the whole situation was taking a toll on her emotions. Gibbs didn't pry her for any more information, he just held his arms open for her. He held her while she cried silently, and it reminder him of when he held her while she cried at 5 years old.

After a minute he asked, "You ready to go inside?" She nodded and followed him in.

Once they were inside, she sat down on the soft couch and looked around.

"This place doesn't look much different from the last time I was here." she said as she leaned back and took out her phone to dial Tim's number. Gibbs went to make coffee, and listened as she talked to Tim and asked that he not visit, because she was too tired and sore. Tim was disappointed, but he understood. After she hung up, Gibbs set a cup of coffee on the table for her and sat down.

"Not in the mood for company?" He asked, and she shook her head.

"Not really. I was kind of hoping just to spend some time with you. Anything going on in the basement?" She asked hopefully.

He nodded and replied, "Got another boat down there that I'm working on, I'll show you in a bit. Let's eat first and get you settled." She nodded her agreement and then there was a knock at the door. Her hand was immediately drawn to the gun that she had holstered at her hip. Gibbs noticed, but didn't say anything as he got up to answer the door. He opened the door to a tall, older Marine Captain.

"Special Agent Gibbs?" The Captain asked, and Gibbs nodded. "I'm Captain Charles Davidson." He said, extending his hand and shaking Gibbs'.

"I remember you, Captain. We served in Desert Storm together. Different units." Gibbs said with a hint of a smirk on his face. The Captain looked confused for a second before his face broke into a grin.

"Well I'll be damned, Gunny. Small world, isn't it?" He asked. Gibbs agreed, "That it is, Captain. You looking for Gunnery Sgt. Hanlon?" He asked and Captain Davidson nodded.

"Come on in," Gibbs said stepping aside for the Captain to enter. When Delaney saw who it was, she rose to her feet, stood at attention and saluted him.

He saluted her back and said, "At ease, Gunny. I'm Captain Davidson, your new Commanding Officer."

She shook his hand and said, "It's nice to meet you, Captain."

He motioned toward the couch and said, "Have a seat, Gunny." The both sat, and Gibbs went into the kitchen to get coffee for the Captain.

"I'll get right to the point Marine," Captain Davidson began, "You have done extremely well. You are an asset to the Corps and your country. I'm sure you've heard that you are being awarded The Navy and Marine Corps Medal and the Homeland Security Distinguished Service Medal." He paused, and Delaney took the opportunity to speak.

"Yes sir, and I am honored, but I don't need to be awarded any medals. I am a Marine. I was just doing my job." Captain Davidson smiled warmly at her and patted her good shoulder.

"You deserve them, Gunny." he said, and she was amazed at how at ease she felt with him. After dealing with Captain Bertram for so long, it was a welcome relief.

She smiled back at him and simply said, "Thank you, sir."

He gulped down the coffee that Gibbs had set in front of him and said, " Your awards ceremony is schedule for this Wednesday, 1300 hours at Quantico. I trust you'll be there?"

She smiled again and said, "Yes sir. Thank you, Captain." He stood and shook her hand again. Then he shook Gibbs' hand, thanked him for the coffee, and left. Delaney turned to Gibbs, "Are you going to be there on Wednesday, Gibbs?" She asked.

Gibbs nodded and said, "As long as we don't catch a case, I'll be there, and I'll bring the team with me."

Later that evening, Gibbs took Delaney down to the basement to check out the boat.

She walked around admiring it and said, "It's looking good, Gibbs." She grabbed a sanding block, and started working on a rough spot on the wood with her good arm. Gibbs heard the front door open, and recognized Tony's footsteps walking across the living room above them. Delaney did not hear Tony as she concentrated on sanding. Tony started down the steps two at a time, and startled her. She dropped the sanding block, drew her gun (which she had refused to put away) and aimed it at Tony. Tony stopped when he saw her draw her weapon, and she sighed deeply when she saw who she was aiming at.

She holstered her weapon again and said, "Jesus, Tony. You startled me."

Tony looked startled himself and said quietly, "You ok?" He walked towards her slowly, looking concerned, and Gibbs sat back, sipping his bourbon and not saying anything. Delaney's hand tightened into a fist and she shouted, making Tony jump slightly.

"NO! No, I'm not ok! I got the shit beaten out of me and was shot, by my commanding officer, mind you! I spent a freaking week in the hospital, my face is a mess, my left arm is useless, and I can't even take a breath without being in pain! And you wanna know what the best part is?" she shouted angrily, her fist still clenched.

"Now I'm afraid of squeaky fucking floorboards! I almost shot you, Tony! And I was ready to shoot Captain Davidson and the pizza delivery guy, all because they knocked on the damn door!" Tony and Gibbs remained silent while she continued to shout. "I'm a Marine, for God's sake! I have a fucking Silver Star! I carried men on my back, out of the field under enemy fire! Do you think I was scared when all of that was happening? HELL NO! There was no room for fear! So can one of you PLEASE tell me what I am so fucking afraid of now?!" Tears were streaming down her face as she stood facing the two agents.

"You finished?" Gibbs asked quietly.

"Shit... I'm sorry guys..." She said wearily. Gibbs stood up and wrapped his arms around her gently. "It's ok, kid." He whispered to her. After a minute she turned to face Tony. "I'm really sorry, Tony." Tony flashed one of his million dollar smiles, and she could help smiling back.

"Don't even worry about it, kid. Believe it or not, I understand. You feel like everything is out of control. It's a hard feeling to shake, but you will. Just give it some time. I came to let you guys know to expect a call from Director Vance."

"What for?" Gibbs asked.

Tony replied, "Gunnery Sgt. Hanlon has become the hot topic of conversation in the office. Everyone wants to meet her, Director Vance included." He looked at Delaney and said, "I figured instead of calling I would just stop by and see how you were doing." He paused before frowning jokingly and saying, "I'll call ahead next time." She smiled at him again, and he squeezed her good shoulder gently, and jokingly saluted Gibbs before letting himself out.

Delaney sat down next to Gibbs on the long saw horse and sighed, rubbing the back of her neck.

"You take any pain medicine today?" Gibbs asked, and she shook her head. He stood up, emptied a jar of screws, poured a generous amount of bourbon into it and handed it to Delaney. She gratefully accepted it, and drank it down in one shot. They sat in silence for a few minutes until Delaney could feel the bourbon working it's magic. She rolled her head around as the knot in her neck began to loosen. Gibbs poured a little more bourbon into her jar, and used one hand to massage her neck. She drank the burning liquid down, pushed the jar away, and closed her eyes, enjoying the relief that the bourbon and Gibbs' calloused hand were giving to the dwindling knot in her neck.

After a few minutes of comfortable silence she said to him, "I don't know what's wrong with me, Gunny. I haven't lost my temper like that since I was a kid, and I am not one to scare easily, either. I feel like I'm not myself anymore."

Gibbs looked at her reassuringly and said, "You're still you. You've just had a hell of a week. Believe it or not, I was kind of relieved when you flipped out. I was starting to worry; I saw it building up and knew that you had to let it go sooner or later. You're not gonna be scared forever. Just give it time." She sighed and leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder. "You know what else scares me, Gunny?" she asked. "What, pretty girl?" he said softly as he brushed her hair away from her face. "You and Ducky are the only family that I have left. Where would I be right now if you hadn't come to Quantico about Lance Corporal Citrix? Or if I didn't have you guys at all?" She asked.

"That's not important. What's important is that you do have us, and you're safe." Gibbs replied. He kissed the top of her head, and then his phone rang. She picked her now heavy head up off of his shoulder as he answered the phone, "Yeah, Gibbs. Yeah, Leon. Well, I don't know, why don't you ask her? Yeah, she's right here, hang on." Gibbs handed his phone to her, "It's for you. Director Vance." He said. She put the phone to her ear, and Gibbs listened to her side of the conversation with the Director. Once she wished the Director a good evening and hung up, she handed the phone back to Gibbs.

"Director Vance wants to take me out to lunch tomorrow. Is it ok if I ride in with you in the morning?" she asked.

"Sure," Gibbs replied, "As long as you don't mind entertaining yourself if we get a call out."

She stood up and wrapped her good arm around him, hugging him tightly. She kissed his cheek, sat back down next to him, "Gunny, there is nothing that I can ever do to repay you for everything that you've done for me." She said, and he responded, "I don't need repayment, kid." he stood up and took her hand. "Come on," he said as he led her upstairs, "Let's watch a movie."

"John Wayne?" She asked hopefully.

Gibbs smiled, "I think I can handle that."

**TBC... Reviews are always appreciated!**


	14. Stopped Between Floors

**I do not own NCIS...**

**Chapter 14: Stopped Between Floors  
**

Robert McNamara watched as Gibbs and Delaney left the house in the morning to go to NCIS. It had crossed his mind the night before that he was better off not taking his cellphone with him anywhere. He walked to the Quick Stop corner store and bought a cheap, easily disposable prepaid phone. He only saved a few contacts in it for emergencies, and he would not be giving the number out to anyone.

"You can never be too careful with Feds..." Robert thought to himself. Again he was disappointed that Gibbs was not leaving Delaney alone at his house, but he was a patient man. He was also a smart man, although he had learned not to let too many people know that. His father was a brilliant man, and Robert and Dennis watched him get used and abused for his intelligence until the day he died. Robert vowed to never let anyone take advantage of his intelligence like that. He had been playing the game a long time. Dress like a redneck, and play dumb. That way, when a person's bank account was emptied or they were raped at knife point in the middle of the night, no one gave him a second thought. Robert always got what he wanted. Dennis always knew what he did, and never breathed a word. He hadn't been caught yet. He was the dumb, friendly hillbilly. No one ever suspected him, and he knew how to cover his ass and not get caught.

Robert had stalked and followed women before, and he was good at it. It was all part of the game, but this time was different. This time he was avenging his little brother's near death and pending prison sentence. He hadn't murdered anyone. Yet. There was a first time for everything, and this was the perfect opportunity for his first kill. Delaney was the last person left to blame. Dennis didn't give him a lot of details about what he did to get shot and go to prison. Robert only knew that it involved a terrorist, a Marine Lance Corporal, a Marine Captain, Dennis and his friend Marc, and Gunnery Sgt. Hanlon. Five out of six were dead or in jail. Robert wasn't sure what involvement Delaney had in Dennis' current predicament, but she was there when it happened, and that was good enough for him. Dennis did not speak highly of her, and all but asked his brother to hunt her down.

"I'll get revenge for you brother, and it's gonna be oh so sweet..." Gibbs couldn't be there every second; and when he did leave, Robert would be ready.

Once Gibbs and Delaney got to the bullpen, Gibbs said to her, "I have to go upstairs to talk to the Director."

He led her to his desk and sat her down in his chair, hitting the power button on his desktop.

"You can check your email on this thing if you want. If it starts acting up, there's a baseball bat right over here. It usually helps."

She laughed at his comment and said, "Thanks, Gibbs. I think I'll manage."

Gibbs began ascending the stairs to the Director's office and Delaney started scrolling through her emails. After a few minutes she heard the elevator doors open and watched as Tony, Ziva and Tim stepped off of it. Tony and Ziva saw her sitting behind Gibbs' desk, but Tim, who was looking at Tony and talking, did not notice her.

Tim was saying to Tony, "I'm just worried, you know? That's a lot for anyone to go through. Then she asked me not to come over..."

Tony rolled his eyes, stopped walking, and turned to face Tim. He put both of his hands on Tim's shoulders and said, "Fear not, Probie-Wan Kenobi. The force is strong in this one." He turned Tim around to face Gibbs' desk.

Tim started scanning the bullpen and made eye contact with Delaney, who was poking her head up over Gibbs' monitor and smiling at him mischievously.

As soon as Tim saw her he grinned and walked over to her. Ziva and Tony looked at each other and smiled. Tony rolled his eyes and Ziva smacked his arm before winking at him seductively and taking a seat at her desk. Tony's eyes remained on Ziva until she gave him a look that said, "You can stop staring now!" They could definitely get away with more flirting when Tim was distracted and Gibbs wasn't around, but rule 12 was still in place, unfortunately.

Ziva motioned with her head towards Tim and Delaney and said quietly to Tony, "They make a cute couple, yes?"

Tony looked at Tim, who now had his chair pulled up to the side of Gibbs' desk. He cringed dramatically at how love-struck Tim looked as he chatted with Delaney.

"God, can you imagine it?" he asked Ziva quietly, "Little, pure-bred Irish mini McNerds running around? A whole clan of... ginger terrors... We need to stop talking about this, I've just frightened myself." Ziva smiled and shook her head at him. She and Tony started their morning routine of checking emails and voice messages.

Gibbs came down the stairs and saw Tim with his chair pulled up to the side of his desk.

"You get a promotion that I didn't hear about, McGee?" Gibbs asked.

Tim turned and immediately stood when he saw Gibbs, and pulled his chair back to his own desk.

"No Boss, I was just, uh... saying hello and... now I am... back where I'm supposed to be... Won't happen again."

Gibbs had a hard time fighting his smile as he watched the nervous reaction of his youngest agent. Delaney watched as he took a long swig of coffee to regain his composure. She could see the affection in his eyes as he looked at his youngest agent. You can fairly judge a man by the company he keeps, and Gibbs is the type of man that if he doesn't like you, he'll either shoot you, or never utter a single word in your direction. The few people that do get into Gibbs' inner circle, he cherishes with his whole heart; he cherishes them because they are people who deserve to be cherished and they equally cherish him. She could easily see that he loved his agents the same same way that he loved her. They were all his children, and that's why, after only a week, she was dating Tim and looked at Tony, Ziva, and Abby as the big brother and sisters she always wanted and never had. They were an easy bunch to love, and her hero loved them a lot.

Delaney stood and quietly excused herself to the ladies room. Gibbs took her absence as an opportunity to ask the team about Robert McNamara. He didn't want to worry her any more than necessary.

"McGee, what's McNamara been up to?" he asked.

"Not much, Boss. Went to a convenient store three blocks from his home at about 2330 last night, went straight home, hasn't moved since."

"What about you two?" he asked Tony and Ziva, "You able to dig anything up on him?"

"Unless you want to count a charge for disorderly conduct and driving under the influence, then no we have not." Ziva replied.

For a second, Gibbs wasn't sure if he should be relieved or suspicious, but suspicion won in the end. It always did, and usually with damn good reason.

"Keep an eye on him, McGee," Gibbs said as he sat down at his desk.

"You got it, Boss."

As Delaney came back into the bullpen and grabbed her coffee, Gibb's phone rang.

"Yeah, Gibbs. Be there in five."He flipped the phone closed, stood up and holstered his pistol.

"Grab your gear. We've got a dead Petty Officer on the USS Barry."

Tim looked confused for a second and then asked, "The USS Barry? Boss, isn't that docked here in the Navy Yard?"

"Very good, Tim." Gibbs replied.

"At least we do not have to travel far," Ziva said as they picked up their gear and walked toward the elevator.

"McGee, take Delaney down to see Abby, then meet us there. Don't keep me waiting." Gibbs said before turning to Delaney, "You can hang out with Abbs until we get back or you leave for lunch."

She smiled as she adjusted her arm in the sling and said, "You got it, Papa." Gibbs tapped her chin with his thumb and walked onto the elevator.

After Tim and Delaney got onto the elevator to Abby's lab, Tim surprised her by hitting the emergency stop button. She started to ask him what he was doing, but before she could say anything, Tim's put his finger gently on her lips.

"I missed you last night," he whispered to her in the dark. He moved his hand and started stroking her cheek. "How are you feeling?"

Delaney was captivated with his sincerity and concern. She had never met a man like this before. There were so many levels to him, each one better than the last. "I'm feeling pretty good today," she whispered back to him, "and I missed you too." She wrapped her good arm around his neck and pulled him into a deep kiss. After a few long seconds, Delaney pulled away from him and started the elevator back up.

Tim looked confused until she said, "You've got a dead Petty Officer on the Barry, remember?"

He blushed and smiled. She loved that combination.

"Right. Sorry." he said quietly. She kissed him once more and was just pulling away as the elevator doors opened. Abby was standing on the other side of the elevator.

"I saw that." Abby said with a smile. "Tony called the lab to see if you guys made it down yet. You better run, McGee. And tell Tony that he owes me $20."

"Why does he owe you $20?" Tim asked as Delaney stepped out of the elevator.

"Because you two," Abby said, pointing a finger at the pair and smiling, "stopped between floors!" This time even Delaney blushed, and they knew they had been busted.

"Technically speaking, Abbs," Delaney said with an embarrassed smile, "Tim stopped us between floors."

Tim looked shocked that she threw him under the bus, and then laughed out loud.

"Ok, I see how it is. I'll remember that!" he said as he leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.

"I knew it!" Abby exclaimed, then she all but shoved Tim back into the elevator. "Now go, McGee! It's girl time!" Once Tim was gone, Abby turned to Delaney and said, "Don't worry. I'll buy him lunch with it."

After girl time with Abby and discovering all the joys of Caf-POW!, Delaney tossed her empty cup into the trash. She hugged Abby before going up to the bullpen to meet Director Vance for lunch.

Lunch with the Director turned out to be much more pleasant than she had anticipated. Director Vance took her to a cafe in Georgetown, and she found he was kind and easy to talk to. She was sure that Gibbs and the team would disagree with her, but that was to be expected. He was their boss.

The day went by smoothly for everyone. When Delaney got back from having lunch with Vance, she spent her time between the lab and autopsy. The dead Petty Officer's killer was in custody by 1600 hours, and by 1800 they were all happy to call it a night.

Later that evening, Gibbs worked on the boat while Tim and Delaney sat in the living room and watched a movie. Once the movie ended, Tim went down the basement and said goodnight to Gibbs. Delaney walked with him onto the porch, and embraced him as best she could with only one functional arm.

"Are you coming in with Gibbs again tomorrow?" Tim asked as he held her in his arms gently.

"No. The award ceremony isn't until 1300. I'm gonna stay here and get ready, and Gibbs said he'd come back and get me if you guys didn't catch a case. Otherwise he'll send another agent to come get me."

Tim kissed her gently before asking, "You gonna be ok by yourself?"

"Yes babe, I'll be fine." she replied, trying not to show how nervous she really was. The nightmares were less frequent but not gone. She smiled at him and pulled him into a kiss.

Robert McNamara watched the pair from a safe distance as they made out on the porch like teenagers. He smiled and remembered Tim from the hospital. He hoped that Tim was the one to find her when he was done with her.

**TBC...**


	15. Get it Done, McGee!

**Thanks for the kind reviews! Almost there! I do not own NCIS...  
**

**Chapter 15: Get It Done, McGee!  
**

After Tim left, Delaney went down the basement to see Gibbs and sat down on a sawhorse. A comfortable silence followed as she watched him work on the boat, and she soon became lost in thought. She thought back to the day that she met Gibbs. The day that had changed the entire course of her life.

_It all happened so fast..._ Her mind raced over the events that had led her to this moment; with Gibbs in his basement. Broken and battle scarred but alive nonetheless.

After a solid forty minutes of digging through her brain and heart, she took a deep breath and said quietly, "Oorah Gunny."

Gibbs turned his head as he worked and smiled, "Oorah."

He knew that she would talk to him when she was ready. He set his tools down and turned to face her.

"Drink?"

"Yeah sure, thanks." After he handed her the drink, she raised her glass to him.

"Tá grá agam duit, Papa." Before he could say anything, she tipped her glass up and then quickly drank the burning liquid down.

Gibbs furrowed his brow before chuckling and shaking his head, "Be easier if you were speaking Russian."

"I love you, Papa." she stated quietly as she gazed at him with a serious face.

This time Gibbs tipped his glass to her and it was his turn to drink.

"I know." Gibbs said as he took a seat next to her. He put an arm around her gently and kissed the top of her head. He was a man of very few words, but his actions more than made up for it. She did not need him to say it back. He showed her all the time.

She melted into his embrace, and enjoyed the feeling of complete safety and trust while it was there. Tomorrow she needed to prove to herself that she was capable of being alone. She wasn't sure why she was so nervous about being alone, but she needed to be strong, and knew that the only way to overcome fear was to face it. She learned that the hard way overseas, and while the method was not pleasant, it was effective and that was good enough for any Leatherneck.

As if he were reading her mind, Gibbs broke her out of her thoughts.

"You do realize that I'm not gonna leave you here by yourself tomorrow, right?" Gibbs asked quietly, his voice muffled by her hair.

"Why not? You have to, Gibbs."

He shook his head and said, "No. I don't. We still have loose ends to tie up from this case. Until it's over, you'll have someone with you."

"No!" she exclaimed, standing to face him. "I need this, Gunny."

Gibbs was quiet for a moment before he spoke, "It's not going to be forever. Just until we get things wrapped up. Tony and Ziva will come hang out with you in the morning, and then drive you to the ceremony."

"No."

"Well, what if I sent Tim instead of Tony?" Gibbs asked, hoping that she would be excited to spend the morning with her new boyfriend.

"No. You don't understand, Papa..." She desperately needed time by herself, to face her fear and purge it.

Gibbs interrupted with, "I get it. You need to be by yourself so you can face your fear and get rid of it. I understand just fine, but you don't have a choice on this one. Someone WILL be here with you." he said resolutely. She sighed wearily, recognizing his "this matter is not up for discussion" voice, and knew it was a battle she would not win.

"Fine. But if that's how its gonna be, I want to lay down some ground rules for tomorrow."

"Such as?" Gibbs asked.

"First of all, no Tony, Ziva or Tim."

Gibbs looked confused. "Why not?"

"Because, If I can't really be by myself, I can at least _pretend_ to be by myself. Making my friends wait outside all morning would be incredibly rude."

Gibbs smirked and nodded as she continued.

"Send some other agents, but make them stay outside. I don't even want to know that they're here."

"Fair enough." Gibbs said before kissing her cheek and turning to put his tools away.

Tim lay in his bed, having given up trying to sleep hours ago. Something wasn't right. He glanced at his clock. 0500. He picked up his PDA and checked Robert McNamara's signal. It was still in the same place it had been for over 24 hours.

"This isn't right," Tim thought to himself, "Who stays at home for that long a period without going anywhere? He's not elderly or sick or disabled. As far as we know, he doesn't have any kind of social disorder, but he is unemployed..."

Tim got out of bed as his mind raced, as before he knew it, he was in his Porsche and heading to NCIS. When he arrived, he started going through the scant amount of information in the file belonging to McNamara. He scanned his short criminal record and then flipped to the next page of the report. It had a copy of McNamara's current driver's license, and his driver's abstract. Tim took notice of the vehicle he had currently registered. A black '94 Dodge Stratus. He sat down at his computer and brought a satellite feed online. He directed the satellite to McNamara's property and took a deep breath. No Stratus. He glanced at the time, and decided to take a drive to McNamara's. No approaching or take-downs, just a little recon.

"I should have just enough time to get there and then back here before the Boss gets in..."

Once he got to Robert's house, he smiled when he saw the full garbage can on the curb. It was amazing the number of things you could learn about someone just by digging through their trash. He pulled a pair of latex gloves out of his bag and put them on before stepping out of the car. He glanced up and down the block to make sure no one was watching then quickly untied one of the bags. Nothing unusual at first glance, an apple core, some moldy french fries... Then out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a piece of plastic sticking up from under a banana peel. He pulled on it and shook the trash off of it to discover that it was the packaging of a cheap prepaid cellphone.

"Damn it..." Tim thought to himself as he got back into his car with the package, stripped off his gloves and raced towards headquarters.

Gibbs rolled out of bed and went into the kitchen to make coffee. Once coffee was on, he went back upstairs and poked his head into the guest room to check on a still sleeping Gunnery Sgt.

"Poor kid..." Gibbs thought to himself as he closed her door quietly and jumped in the shower. After he dressed and poured himself a cup of coffee, he stood on the front porch and watched as a black sedan pulled to a stop in front of his house. NCIS special agents Ray Goodman and Charles Nelson stepped out of the car.

"Morning, Gibbs," both agents said.

"Morning. You guys are on protection detail here until noon. Stay outside, I want one of you at the front door and one around back. Nobody gets past you unless it's me. At noon, you drive Delaney to the Navy Yard. She'll be inside, and doesn't want to be bothered but keep your ears open. Any questions?"

"Shouldn't be too difficult," replied Nelson.

"Beats going through cold cases," Goodman said.

"Good. Get to it." Gibbs said before walking back inside to see a sleepy Delaney pouring a cup of coffee.

"Morning, kid." Gibbs said as she sat down at the table and yawned.

"Morning Papa."

"I'm on my way to work. There's an agent out front and one out back. They shouldn't bother you. Just call if you need anything, ok?" She smiled sleepily, patted the Beretta she had set down on the table next to her and nodded before he dropped a kiss on the top of her head and left. Delaney decided before getting dressed she would lay down for just a few more minutes. She got comfortable on the couch, slipped her Beretta underneath it just enough so that it couldn't be seen but was in easy reach with her good arm, and drifted off to sleep.

Robert McNamara watched from his safe distance as Gibbs briefed the agents on protection detail. Robert sighed, getting impatient as he saw Gibbs drive away, leaving the other agents behind. Normally, he didn't mind the recon work, but he was over excited about his current endeavor. He was going to make sure that he was the last person she saw before drawing her last breath... He was too worked up to be patient anymore. He took a pistol from the glove box and screwed a silencer to the front. He had purchased the gun years ago and only fired it on the range, but was a decent shot. The silencer he got from a friend. Normally, his weapon of choice was a large combat knife, and he was prepared to use said knife on Delaney when the time came, but he determined that he needed to shoot the agents working protection detail. Quick and easy. With the silencer on, it shouldn't draw any unwanted attention, and that would free him up to spend some "quality time" with the Gunny.

As Gibbs walked into the bullpen, he noticed that Tim's desk light was on. He walked over and saw that his computer was also on, and Robert McNamara's file was open on his desk.

"What the hell are you up to McGee?" Gibbs wondered aloud. He scanned the bullpen, and did not see Tim. He sat down at his desk, turned his computer on, and picked up his phone to call Tim. Before he could dial, he heard the bell of the elevator.

Tim rushed out of the elevator and flew to his desk, not noticing that Gibbs was there. He quickly started scanning the package that he brought in and found the Mobile Equipment Identifier (MEID) number. He started to type the number into his tracking software, but before he got more than four numbers in, he felt a presence behind him. He spun around in his chair to see Gibbs, coffee in hand, looking down at him silently.

"Boss, hey, uh good morning..."

"Getting in some overtime, McGee?" Gibbs asked.

"Uh no Boss, I was just, uh... Well, you see I couldn't um..."

"Words, McGee! Use 'em!"

"Boss, I couldn't sleep, and I was thinking. We've been tracking Robert McNamara for well over twenty four hours now. He went to the convenient store the other night and hasn't moved since. That's a bit odd, don't you think? Or to go somewhere and not take your cell phone? It's hinky. So I did a little, uh... field research..."

"What kind of field research?" Gibbs asked. He was starting to sound frustrated.

Tim sighed and said, "I came here first. I pulled his current vehicle registration to see what kind of car he drives. Then I got a satellite fix on the property to see if the car was there."

"And it wasn't." Gibbs stated.

"No. So I took a drive over to his place, just to scan the perimeter and see if I could find out where he was if he wasn't there."

"Well, I hope you found something good, McGee."

"I did. Didn't look like anyone was home, but his trash was out at the curb, so I took a peek inside. Found this." Tim said, holding up the packaging to the cell phone.

"Cell phone." Gibbs said. To Tim's relief, Gibbs was starting to look less pissed at him as he explained his actions.

"Yup. Prepaid. Untraceable unless you have the MEID, which is right here on the package."

"Did you trace it already?" Gibbs asked in a quiet, slightly sarcastic tone.

"No Boss, not yet."

"Well, what the hell are you waiting for, a damn invitation? Get it done McGee!"

"Yes Boss!" Tim said turning back to his computer. As his head turned, he felt the hard sting of Gibbs' hand connecting with the back of his head. Gibbs leaned over him and put one hand on his chair and one on the desk beside him, effectively blocking him into the corner. Tim's eyes got wide as Gibbs began to speak quietly.

"And the next time you feel like going on a field trip, McGee, you make sure you take backup and TELL. ME. FIRST. You pull a stunt like that again, and I'll have you on desk duty under DiNozzo until you retire. Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal, Boss. Won't happen again."

"I know," Gibbs said, "Now start tracking."

"On it," Tim said as he spun in his chair and entered the rest of the MEID number into his tracking software. "Ok, Boss, it's searching... The phone has a GPS, so the location should be coming up in a second... Uh oh." Tim's gut twisted into a painful knot as he saw where the signal was coming from.

"What? Where is he?" Gibbs asked, and Tim looked up at him with fear in his eyes.

"Boss according to this, he's at your house."

**TBC... **


	16. OORAH!

**Thank you to everyone for the reviews, follows and favorites. I had a blast writing this. Let's do it again soon! I do not own NCIS...**

**Chapter 16: OORAH!  
**

Delaney was only asleep for a few minutes before a noise from outside woke her. She stayed on the couch for a minute while scanning the room and listening. All was quiet.

"Get it together, Marine. You're fine, it's just the agents." she said to herself. She sat up on the couch and took the sling off her her arm. She started gently rolling her shoulder and stood up to get another cup of coffee. While she was in the kitchen, she heard the front door open and then close again quickly. Her stomach twisted into a knot and she turned quickly to go back into the living room to grab her Beretta. As soon as she stepped into the hallway, she was stopped in her tracks by Robert, who was holding a large knife.

"Hey there, little darling." Robert said to her with a sick smile on his face.

"You've gotta be fucking kidding me..." she replied. She had never seen the man before, but recognized him immediately. He looked just like his brother. His grin expanded at her reply, and she took his amusement as an opportunity to escape. She ducked down and used her leg to quickly sweep his legs out from under him. She tried to jump over him to get to the living room, but he quickly grabbed the back of her pants and threw her to the floor. He got up, grabbed her by the hair and forced her to stand, holding the tip of the knife to her throat.

"This is getting exciting," he said with a disturbing gleam in his eye, "I never had one that fought back before."

"What happened to the agents?" She asked, her voice as hard as stone.

"Dead. I wanted you to be my first, but we can't always get what we want, can we Gunny?"

Her heart started pounding as she realized that he was there to kill her.

"I could end you right now," he said, nicking her throat with the blade, "but I wanted to get to know you a bit first." Still holding her by the hair, he dragged her into the living room and looked around.

"Perfect. What better place to make love than in front of a fireplace?" Her heart sank at his words, as the realization came crashing down on her that he intended to rape her before killing her.

"Not gonna be any lovemaking here today." she said to him, her voice still unwavering, "A rape, maybe, but that's it." She refused to let him see fear.

He smiled at her again, "Not maybe, little darling. Definitely."

Tim and Gibbs rushed to the Charger, and peeled out of the Navy Yard at dangerous speeds. Gibbs tossed his phone toward Tim.

"Goodman and Nelson are on protection detail at the house. Call them."

"On it," Tim said, trying to keep his voice from shaking. He was so scared for her... He dialed Goodman's number and got no answer. He got the same results with Nelson.

"Boss, no one is picking up."

Gibbs tried not to panic. "This is my fault," he thought to himself, "Tony warned me, and I didn't do enough." He pressed the pedal down further and raced towards the house.

Robert dragged Delaney by her hair into the living room, and pushed her down to the floor next to the couch. He straddled her legs and sat on them to make sure she would not move until he was ready. He noticed that she was cradling her left arm close to her body, so her grabbed her wrists and forced both of her hands to the floor at her sides. She winced at the pain in her shoulder but didn't make a sound.

"You better keep your hands right there, otherwise this is gonna hurt a lot more than it has to." he told her.

"Whatever. Let's just get this over with." she said. He grinned at her again and let go of her wrists. He took the knife and started cutting up the center of her t-shirt, starting from the bottom and working his way up. While he focused on cutting the fabric, she started reaching underneath the couch with her left hand, looking for her gun. She fought to keep a straight face as pain tore through her shoulder. She was not yet healed enough to be stretching like this, but there was no other option. Robert gave the knife one last push to get through the neckline of her shirt, and cut her chin with the blade as the fabric gave way. She felt blood start to run down her neck. He was so mesmerized by the sight of her with her shirt cut open and high on adrenaline that he did not notice her hand underneath the couch. He slipped the knife underneath her bra, but pulled it out again to her relief.

"I'll let you keep that for a while. I'm not like most guys. I like the foreplay."

His eyes were becoming glazed with a far away, euphoric look. He set the knife down on the coffee table next to him, and started to undo his belt. Just as he pulled his zipper down, Delaney felt her fingertips brush the cool steel of her Beretta under the couch. She tightened her grip around the handle and smiled devilishly at him.

He looked at her, confused until he saw her hand hidden underneath the couch. He quickly turned and grabbed the knife off of the table. He raised it over his head to plunge it into her. With every ounce of strength she could muster from her left arm, she pulled the gun out from under the couch. She cried out in pain as she forced her arm to point the gun at Robert, and quickly fired three rounds into his chest. A look of complete shock crossed his face as he dropped the knife, leaned forward and started bleeding onto her. He started gasping as if he was running out of air. Before he could fall, she grabbed the front of his shirt with her right hand. She lifted her head off of the floor and pulled him close.

"Was it good for you?" she whispered as he drew his last breath. His eyes look terrified and then completely blank. She pushed him as hard as she could and he fell on his back, away from her.

Gibbs and Tim just pulled on to Gibbs' block when they heard three shots fired. They came to a screeching halt in front of the house, and wasted no time running to the door. Gibbs kicked the door open and both agents entered with guns drawn. Delaney heard the door being kicked open, and immediately lifted her head and once again aimed her trusty Beretta. As soon as she saw who it was, she let out a long, shuttering breath. She clicked the safety on, and let the gun hit the floor. She laid back and relaxed as the agents holstered their weapons and rushed to her side. It was finally over. They were both relieved to see her alive, but Tim started panicking when he saw the amount of blood that was on her.

"Sweetheart, this is too much blood. We have to stop the bleeding. Where is this blood coming from?" Tim frantically searched the room for something to stop the blood.

"Not mine. Well, the majority of it isn't..." Tim released a breath that he hadn't realized he was holding, relieved that most of the blood was not hers. He looked at Robert, then back to Delaney and a horrified look crossed his face.

"Oh my God... He didn't... Did he..." Tim stammered as he saw that Robert's fly was open and Delaney's shirt was cut down the center. He knelt down and took her hand.

"No, Tim. I didn't give him a chance."

"Oh, thank God." He kissed her gently then stood up.

Gibbs hung up his phone and said, "Backup is on the way. I've got an ambulance coming for you. McGee, get the outside taped off and start bagging and tagging."

Gibbs knelt beside her and, as was customary when she was not in uniform, pushed her hair out of her face.

"You ok?" he asked quietly.

The only response that he got was a slight nod of her head and a deep sigh.

After a few second she said, "I don't need an ambulance. I'm fine. Will you help me up and grab me a clean shirt?"

Gibbs ran upstairs to the bedroom and reappeared with a gray USMC t-shirt. He helped her to sit up on the couch. He gently peeled her cut shirt off, put it in an evidence bag and slipped the clean one over her head. She did not bother pulling her left arm through the sleeve. It hurt too damn much...

Gibbs pressed a piece of gauze and an icepack to her chin.

"That's gonna need a couple stitches." He placed a hand on her head and used his thumb to lift her eyelids and check for signs of a concussion.

"I'm fine, Gunny. I have to call Captain Davidson and tell him I won't make the ceremony. There's no way in hell I'm going to that damn thing today. If I absolutely have to have a ceremony, I want a private one. Not a big celebration."

"Yeah, I'll take care of it." Gibbs said. "How's your shoulder?"

"Hurts like hell. I have an appointment with the orthopedic surgeon tomorrow afternoon. I'll have him check it out then."

"I'll have Ducky look at you when he gets here."

Delaney nodded and then looked down at Robert's lifeless body, laying on the floor in a pool of blood. Her mind suddenly flashed images of when she was in Baghdad. She saw the faces of the Marines that she lost in that God forsaken land, laying in pools of their own blood. She shook her head to clear her thoughts. She had to. She had seen first hand what happens to Marines that spend all of their time dwelling on what happened in the desert. She would never forget it, but she couldn't afford to dwell on it, especially not now. Gibbs saw the brief, faraway look in her eyes; they were the eyes of a seasoned Marine. It was something that he was terribly familiar with. Occasional flashbacks were a part of life when you'd seen combat like they had. They didn't happen often, but occasionally, one would sneak up on you out of nowhere. He smiled at her lovingly and stroked her cheek with his thumb. She wanted to cry but just couldn't. It was like she had physically run out of tears.

"Gibbs, he killed your Agents."

"I know." he replied softly. He looked at her for a long moment before speaking again.

"I'm sorry that this happened. I'm sorry I didn't realize the danger sooner..." Before he could say anything else she interrupted him.

"Gibbs! Don't tell me that you forgot your own rule! Don't apologize to me, this wasn't your fault." she stated flatly, trying her best to mimic his "this issue is not up for discussion" voice, but not quite nailing it the way that he could.

He replied with, "Now you're ready to learn the unspoken rules. The first one it that an apology is never a sign of weakness between friends and especially family. You are my family, and I love you. So please accept my apology." A single tear finally slid down her cheek as she listened to his quiet, heartfelt statement.

"I love you too Papa, but it's tough to accept and apology from someone who has no reason to apologize. I'm stubborn. You tried to have agents inside with me but I refused. I should be apologizing to you."

"We both made mistakes. Guess there's only one way to make this right..." he said with a hint of a smile on his face.

"How's that?"

"Headslap me." Gibbs stated flatly. She looked at him like he had lobsters crawling out of his ears. He saw the look on her face and started laughing.

"Gibbs... what?" She sounded thoroughly confused.

"Just do it."

"You're the Boss." she said as she reached up and whacked him on the back of the head. When she was done he quickly reached around and slapped the back of her head, but very gently.

She smiled at him and he slightly bowed his head to her.

"Now we're even."

The rest of the day was a blur. She answered all of the agent's questions, got her chin stitched and had Ducky examine her shoulder. Once they got back to headquarters, she was still buzzing from the adrenaline high. By late in the afternoon, she was in Abby's lab, scrubbed clean in the NCIS showers and dressed in an NCIS jumpsuit that was a few sizes too big. All of the necessary paperwork was complete and statements were written, both for NCIS and the Marine Corps. She was sleeping on the futon in Abby's office, and grumbled when Tim tried to wake her up.

"Go away. I can't answer any more questions. I'm not touching another pen for at least 24 hours. I'm out of commission for the evening." she said without opening her eyes.

"Wouldn't you be more comfortable Gibbs' house? They got everything cleaned up, and Gibbs is almost ready to go home." She finally opened her eyes and smiled sleepily at Tim. The incident with Robert had her a bit shaken, but she was more than happy to know that now it was truly over. She once again had nothing to fear. Tim smiled back at her and kissed her gently for a minute before pulling away and helping her up.

She yawned and said, "Do you want to come over to Gibbs' and watch a movie?" He brought her hand up to his lips and kissed it gently.

"I would be delighted."

(Four months later) Summer was in full swing, and everyone gathered at Gibbs' house for a barbeque on a warm Saturday afternoon. Jimmy was standing at the grill, flipping burgers and wearing an apron that said, "Licensed to Grill."

He was doing a fine job of burning everything, and finally Gibbs handed him a beer, put a hand on his shoulder and said, "Why don't you relax a bit, Jimmy? I'll take over."

"I don't mind cooking, Agent Gibbs." he said with a smile.

Gibbs smirked at him and raised an eyebrow, "Well, I appreciate that Palmer, but the steaks are going on next and I like mine rare, not Cajun." Jimmy looked down at the burnt burgers, smiled and moved over for Gibbs to take his place. He sat down and started talking to Abby, Breena and Ducky. As he put the steaks on the grill, Gibbs gazed out into the yard at the rest of his family. He didn't think it was possible to ever have a family again, but here they were. Playing and talking and eating in his backyard. Gibbs offered a silent thanks, and watched Tony, Ziva, Tim and Delaney play wiffle ball in the soft grass. All four of them were barefoot and in shorts and t-shirts. Delaney deliberately ran into Tony and playfully shoved him, trying to reach home plate. Tony had seen it coming though, grabbed her right arm as she passed and spun her to plant her on her butt.

Tony looked down at her over his sunglasses and grinned, "You're out!" He held out his hand and helped her to her feet again as she laughed.

Tim came over to them and said, "You mind not beating up my girlfriend, Tony?"

"Sure thing, Probie. But my Ninja is not going to like it."

"What am I not going to like?" Ziva asked, as they all started walking back over to the outdoor patio. Tony tried to grab Ziva by the arm to drag her down like he did with Delaney, but Ziva, ever the warrior, countered his move quickly by grabbing his wrist and twisting his arm around his back, effectively bringing him to one knee.

Holding his arm hostage, she said to him, "Do you know what it's like to live with only one arm, Tony? If you ever try that again... You WILL know first hand." She released his arm and Tony smiled sheepishly at her as he got up.

Gibbs smiled as the four of them made it back to the patio, barefoot, sweaty and ready for a cold one. He flipped the steaks and looked at Ducky, Jimmy, and Breena.

"You guys having steak?" A round of "No thank you's" went up and he turned to his ball players.

"Tony, Ziva, McGee... steak?"

"Did you forget about me, Gunny?" Delaney asked and he smiled at her.

"No. I don't need to ask you."

"Why not?" she asked, torn between being amused and confused.

"Because... A Devil Dog never passes up steak." She smiled at his answer as he took the steaks off of the grill, set them on the table and started serving.

"Hey, how did Marines get nicknamed 'Devil Dogs' anyway?" McGee asked, sounding curious. Ducky's eyes lit up.

"Well, that question has quite the story behind it Timothy." Ducky began, and everyone else became quiet to hear the story from him. "Legend has it that the name Devil Dog was coined by the German Army out of respect for US Marines in World War I. In the summer of 1918, the German Army was driving toward Paris, and the French Army was almost in full retreat. In a last ditch, desperate attempt to save Paris, the newly arrived Marines were pitted against the Germans. The fighting was fierce and lasted for weeks, as the Marines continually drove the Germans back into Belleau Wood. The Germans were forced to stop driving toward Paris, and once they did stop, the Marines swept through and effectively kicked them out. Paris had been saved! And that, my friends, was when the tide of war turned. Five months later, the German Army was forced into accepting an armistice. The fury and tenacity of the US Marines had so stunned the Germans that in their official reports they referred to them as 'Teufel Hunden' meaning 'Devil Dogs'; the ferocious and fearless mountain dogs of Bavarian Folklore."******  
**

Gibbs raised his beer when Ducky finished speaking and said, "Oorah."

The rest of the family also raised their glasses.

"OORAH!"

**The End :-) **


End file.
